The Blue Fish Radio Show

Max Finkelstein had an idea that the rivers of Canada and the United States shared much in common, and organized a team of paddlers to prove his point. Together they paddled a voyager canoe from Ottawa to Washington; a trip that would prove far more challenging than first surmised. Link to hear Max talk about the risks of paddling through some of North America’s largest cities this week on Blue fi...

Few have accomplished anything close to what Max Finkelstein has undertaken with a paddle and canoe. He’s literally traversed Canada along throughout the north, and has led an expedition from Ottawa to Washington. Along the way he published two books about his adventures. Max is still at it, but took some time to share some of his hard-earned lessons on Blue fish Radio in a two part series. Part o...

Each year Andy and Vida Pallotta host the Canadian Sport Fishing Hall of Fame Awards as part of their Toronto Spring Fishing and Boat Show. It’s a class act put on by classy people. No shortage of top shelf spectators in the crowd as well, and this week on Blue Fish Radio we speak with a bunch of the best and brightest in the industry to hear what they think about the Canadian Sport Fishing Hall o...

Canada has set the goal to establish marine protection areas for 10 per cent of our oceans by 2020. What this all means for recreational fishers and others has yet to be determined. In the short-term, Bill C55 is intended to require the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to apply precautionary restrictions that could put a stop to recreational fishing without first having conducted the science that...

Mr. Tom Brooke is one of Canada’s greatest ambassadors for recreational fishing. He’s personally been involved in driving forward many of the transformative changes that helped ensure the tradition of recreational fishing has evolved to meet technological and environmental changes throughout North America. Tom’s hand in developing the water weigh-in system used by fishing tournaments, forming the...

In 2015, Stan Proboszcz, staff scientist with watershed watch, was asked to be on a government science steering committee examining an Infectious Virus found on salmon farms and its risk to wild salmon. Stan had concerns about being on a government-led committee, especially after the Cohen Inquiry into the Decline of Fraser Sockeye Salmon concluded that DFO may have a pro-salmon farming bias. Now...

John Anderson from the Ottawa River Musky Factory is our guest this week on Blue Fish Radio. John also features in the first of ten stories told in the feature documentary What Lies Below. Having operated on the River for 18 years now, it’s safe to say no one knows the Ottawa River’s Musky as well as John. He’s also committed to ensuring the fishery survives and thrives. Link here to learn more ab...

In order to reduce the size of government and speed up approval processes, public oversight of BC resources has been drastically reduced over the past 15 years. Professional reliance became the BC government’s term for the way natural resources are now managed. This approach lets corporations hire consultants to monitor and approve their industrial activities, instead of government scientists and...

On December 28 2017 the Pacific Huron Bulk Carrier, a623-foot vessel Loaded with soybean, ran aground along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River near Wellesley Island, 1,000 feet outside the channel. On January 1 2018 the Federal Biscay, a 650 foot bulk carrier became stuck in Snell Lock near Massena / Cornwall, the last lock on the St. Lawrence River. Even though the official shipping season...

Dr. David Philipp has dedicated his life to understanding the interplay between anglers and fish. This week on Blue Fish Radio, Dr. Philipp discusses his research on Bass and other fish populations, and how certain fishing pressures can influence their ability to spawn successfully. He also challenges anglers with a mission to change regulations that would address current conservation inadequacies...

The Queen's University Biological Stationand its Director Dr. Stephen Lougheed are working hard to make sure scientists, researchers and the public have the tools and opportunities to conduct field research necessary to track environmental change. From frogs to fish, the over 50 buildings have hosted research on ecology, evolution, conservation, geography and environmental science for over 70 year...

Blue Fish Radio episode 168 reflects on reconciliation and resource access rights. Listen to indigenous leaders from across Canada reflect and offer advice on how we can work together to develop sustainable access to Canada’s wild renewable resources.

Stephanie Woodworth is a Youth Advisor for Waterlution who moved to Toronto from Dryden Ontario to pursue a Masters. We asked her to be this week’s guest on Blue fish Radio as she really has a tremendous message to offer. It’s about connecting to nature using all your senses, and how it’s only through establishing real relationships with water that you can become a true steward. Walk the talk righ...

Fly Fishing International Certified instructor Joannie De Lasablonniere has instructed over 100 women to fly fish since launching her business in 2016, La Peche Au Feminin. When she’s not teaching women, she’s introducing the sport to youth ages 12-18, and leading them on fishing trips from the Gaspesie to the Keys. She’s one of only five female Fly Fishing International certified instructors in C...

Lake2Plate is a new video series designed to inspire viewers to harvest and prepare fish and wild forage in ways that both celebrate our shore-lunch tradition, and the ability to harvest wild fish and food sustainably using local knowledge and science-based selection techniques. Our first Lake2Plate took place on the Ottawa River and featured Steve Mitton from the Whalesbone restaurant. Lawrence G...

In part two of this two-part interview with Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner, Dianne Saxe, we discuss the miss-guided actions of government and the impacts on Ontario’s environment, people and economy. We also review the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s risk-based approach to protecting species at risk, which the ECO report asserts has yet to protect a single species, and what this...

In part one of this two-part interview with Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner, Dianne Saxe, we delve into the industrial tragedy that has haunted two first nations communities in north-western Ontario for over 50 years. The paper mill located on the Wabigoon-English River system continues to impact the Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong Communities following an estimated initial dump of 11 tons of...

American Eel once dominated the great lakes and their many tributaries. As much as 80% of the biomass in the system consisted of eels. Habitat loss, excessive commercial fishing, and hydroelectric dams have all impacted their abundance, which is now estimated to be about 1% of their former glory. Listen to Episode 162 of Blue Fish Radio as Matt Windle, Biologist with the St. Lawrence River Institu...

Disentangling whales from commercial fishing gear and just about anything else we put into oceans is an increasingly growing concern. More whales, more whale watchers, and more ways for commercial fishers and others to report entanglements, means more work for the 75 NOAA certified disentanglers located along North America’s east and west coasts. They work on whales of all sizes including humpback...

Dr. Steven Cooke’s team at Carleton University helps protect and manage fisheries and aquatic ecosystems by researching Conservation Physiology, a discipline which examines how fish and other organisms respond to change. A new research initiative by the Cooke Lab is studying Ontario’s Rideau Watershed, including tagging, tracking and monitoring small and large-mouth bass using acoustic receivers a...

The Inuit of Labrador and the federal government have signed a deal that will see the Inuit participate in the development of a marine-management plan covering more than 380,000 square kilometers of coastal waters on the far eastern end of Canada’s Northwest Passage. The plan, which is expected to govern shipping, resource extraction, water quality, species management, conservation of historical s...

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission was established in 1955 by the Canadian/U.S. Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission coordinates fisheries research, controls the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitates cooperative fishery management among the state, provincial, tribal, and federal management agencies. Today’s guest on Blue fish Radio is Marc Gaden, PhD, professor at Michigan State Uni...

Blue Fish Radio presents Oceana Canada’s Director of Science, Dr. Robert Rangeley, who’s fresh off the boat from his underwater exploration of the Gulf of St Lawrence. Together with Canada’s Department of Fisheries, Dr. Rangeley and government scientists operated a 3,000 kilo remotely operated vehicle at depths of 400 meters, where they explored the seafloors bountiful thriving diverse life. The e...

Fish physiologist Dr Dominique Lapointe is engaged in crucial research at the St. Lawrence Institute for Environmental Science. From Northern Pike to the invasive Round Goby, Dr. Lapointe is determined to figure out what it all means for the St. Lawrence ecosystem and the native fish that make the River their home. Dr. Lapointe started her research in the Golf of St. Lawrence, moved to Virginia, t...