Who Are We Without the Fish?

When I think of my late Pop, I remember the times we spent out in boat jigging cod.

Nothing compared to that feeling of hauling up the line, looking over at his wrinkled, smiling face, and knowing this is what our forebears did for generations in the same waters.

As someone who didn’t grow up in a fishing community, I’ll be the first to admit that understanding the fisheries has always felt daunting. There is a lot to learn.

But the rapidly changing conditions in our oceans due to pollution and climate change are putting our fisheries in peril. If we don’t turn things around, scientists have warned we could see a mass die-off of ocean life.

That’s a pretty good reason to care. But it’s not the only reason.

When we dip beneath the surface, we see the fisheries in our province are more than just an industry or a part of our history. They are still a fundamental part of our economy, our existence, and our identity.

So what does it mean for us that they are in danger?

Can we even imagine what Newfoundland and Labrador would look like without them?

The Independent has decided to turn its attention to the industry, livelihood and passion that has occupied our time, bellies and imaginations for centuries.

In the coming weeks we’ll be highlighting the work of award-winning journalists Jenn Thornhill Verma and Leila Beaudoin, who co-author The Indy’s Seasplainer series. In their forthcoming piece they will answer the question: With the ocean warming from climate change, are there still fish to catch?

But that’s not all.

You know that The Indy’s stories go deep, that our reporting is unapologetic, and that we centre the voices of everyday Newfoundlanders and Labradorians – not political or corporate elites. We want to take this approach to continued reporting around the fisheries, to be a unique source for readers across our province to more meaningfully understand our past, present and future.

The Independent wants to be the place people can go for a greater understanding of the issues at play when we talk about the fisheries, whether you live in an outport, or downtown St. John’s.

Today I’m inviting you to become an ally to The Independent and the stories we tell. You can help us produce more Seasplainer stories and investigations by becoming a monthly donor. The steady dependability of monthly gifts, even very small ones, add up to an essential financial bedrock for our publication.

Many of you already support our journalism financially. It’s thanks to those who contribute a little (or a lot!) each month that we’re able to produce investigative journalism. We are very grateful for the bedrock you are providing our small newsroom.

If you wouldn’t mind sharing this article with your family and friends, we would so appreciate your help in getting the word out about our reader-funded journalism. If you already give, or if making a contribution isn’t in your budget right now, you can still help out in a big way by sharing our reporting!

Let’s challenge the notion of the fisheries as a dying industry and figure out what we need to do to protect our communities’ ability to fish for generations to come.

Doing what we can now to educate ourselves on the impacts of climate change and the value of the fisheries is part of having a fighting chance of giving our grandchildren the experience of sitting in the boat, jigging and hauling that line, with wonder and excitement on their faces.

With your help, quality journalism can play its role in preserving and building our future. Please consider starting a monthly gift to support this work.

Yours in fish and flakes,

Justin