Appointed: Rear Admiral (retired) Roger Girouard

to lead a Canadian Coast Guard investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of at least three seal hunters whose disabled vessel capsized while being towed by a coast guard icebreaker. The disabled 12-metre trawler L'Acadien II was being towed by the Sir William Alexander in the Gulf of St. Lawrence when the small boat hit an ice block and capsized, killing the three sealers and leaving a fourth presumed dead in icy waters. Two crewmen survived. His findings will be delivered and made public in the fall of 2008. The investigation will aim to determine the sequence of events, as well as identify direct causes and contributing factors to how and why the incident occurred and whether coast guard procedures were properly observed. Girouard, who began his service with the Canadian navy in 1973, has captained a number of ships and also served as commander of Canada's Pacific fleet.

Appointed: Brian Delaney as Assistant Deputy Minister

(Policy and Planning) with the NL Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mr. Delaney began his career with the Provincial Government in 1989 as economist with Cabinet Secretariat. His other positions since then include labour market researcher with the Economic Recovery Commission, production economist with the Department of Forestry and Agriculture, industry planning supervisor with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, director of research and task force secretary with the Task Force on Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining, economic policy analyst with Cabinet Secretariat, director of research and panel member of the Inshore Shrimp Panel, and director of policy research for the Fish Processing Policy Review Commission. Most recently he served as director of planning services, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mr. Delaney has a master of marine studies in fisheries resource management and a bachelor of arts from Memorial University.

Appointed: Mike Warren as Executive Director (Special Initiatives)

with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mr. Warren has worked with the Department of Fisheries and Aqauculture for more than 20 years, most recently as Executive Director (Policy and Planning).  His earlier positions there included Director of Planning Services, Fisheries Planning Supervisor and Fisheries Planning Analyst.  His work has included serving as provincial lead on the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Fishing Industry Renewal Strategy; provincial representative on the working groups for the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers and Atlantic Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers; co-chair of the federal-provincial fisheries diversification program; and, serving on the Canada-France Fisheries Committee and as co-chair of the Canadian Oceans Task Group. Mr. Warren has an honours bachelor of science degree in geography from Memorial University and has completed graduate studies in fisheries management, coastal and oceans management, and sea ice research.

Airlifted:

A crewmember from a shrimp vessel fishing off Labrador. A Cormorant search and rescue helicopter was tasked to airlift a sick shrimp fisherman from his vessel  on April 7, 2008 off the coast of Labrador. The shrimper Atlantic Enterprise requested an evacuation after a crew member suffered what search and rescue officials described as a “medical issue.” A search and rescue crew flew to the area and picked up the man. The Atlantic Enterprise was located  about 180 kilometres east of Cartwright. Crews brought the man to hospital in St. Anthony where he was reported to be responding favourably to treatment.

Honoured: The Canadian Forces

for their contributions towards effective fisheries enforcement in the North Atlantic. During a special ceremony onboard HMCS St. John’s,  Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, watched  as Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn presented the Canadian Forces (CF) with a commemorative plaque to honour their actions. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Canadian Navy and Air Force have a long history of working together to conduct Canada’s offshore surveillance program. A good example of this cooperation is HMCS Fredericton, which was directly involved in two NAFO citations for serious infringements issued to the Spanish vessels Esperenza Menduina and Festeiro in 2006. On one occasion, the CF vessel was required to standby for several days awaiting the right opportunity to quickly approach the foreign vessel to conduct an inspection.

Appointed: Sandy Hussey

as the Cummins Engine Sales Representative for the province of Newfoundland & Labrador. Ed LeGrow, Cummins Vice President - Newfoundland Labrador, said; "Sandy holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland and has spent time as a professional fish harvester in pursuit of snow crab with a fishing enterprise out of his home town of Port de Grave." Sandy can be reached at (office) 747-5904 or (cell) 765-6650.

Appointed:

A new daily seafood auction at Marine Industrial Park in Boston’s seafood processing district.  Seafood from Boston, Gloucester, Provincetown and Chatham, Mass., and ports in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and Maine will be displayed to seafood inspectors in a refrigerated room. The live electronic auction will be held jointly with the New Bedford auction, and buyers can bid on seafood through the Buyers and Sellers Exchange, an electronic auctioning company. It is anticipated that the number of participating buyers will increase by 33 percent, from 60 to 80. Already 13 new buyers have been recruited, and it is expected that participating fishing boats will grow 30 percent, from 265 to about 345.