Headlines from this weeks SPEC

June 2, 2002

Finances of the Band administration at the centre of the debates in Listuguj

Gilles Gagne
LISTUGUJ - Finances are at the centre of the debate leading to the June 1st elections in Listuguj, opposing mainly current chief Allison Metallic and former councillor Scott Martin. A third candidate, Floyd Swasson, is also trying to win the main seat, but his campaign has been quiet. Scott Martin, a convenience store owner like Allison Metallic, was the councillor who received the higher number of votes at the October 1999 election. Allison Metallic then won against Ronald Jacques by two votes. Mr. Martin tried to get elected as chief seven months later, on June 3rd 2000, but he was defeated by Mr. Metallic. Out of the council for the last two years, Scott Martin is under the impression that an important deficit currently hampers the financial capacity of the Band administration. He hesitated when asked to identify the magnitude of the alleged deficit.

Lobster season off to a slow start, but the impact on prices is positive for fishermen
Gilles Gagne

The first half of the 2002 lobster fishing season was characterized by a slow start, due to weather conditions, according to most people related to this field.
The end of April and most of the month of May have been on the cool side, sometimes cold, compared to what fishermen have seen over the last four years. Lobsters, they say, are not as active in cold water. The wind has also been strong on certain days. The high presence of herring probably rendered the bait contained in traps less attractive for lobsters.
Perce lobster buyer Raymond Sheehan, who acquires the catches of 46 of the 215 Gaspe Peninsula lobster fishermen, has noted a 30 percent decrease in the volume of products delivered to different wharves along the coast, compared to 2001. But comparing 2002 and 2001 is unfair, he said, because 2001 was a record year, for the volume of catches and for the price.

Micmacs of Gesgapegiag fishing with nets at the mouth of Grand Cascapedia River
No deal with Quebec government
Gilles Gagne

About 20 Micmac fishermen have installed gillnets at the mouth of the Grand Cascapedia River over the last two weeks, in order to activate negociations with the Quebec Government. Both parties have not been able to sign a deal over salmon fishing for the current year. For the last four years, Gesgapegiag received $125,000 per annum to limit its fishing season to four days per week, for the duration of 16 tides. But Chief John Martin points out that the band was getting $265,000 at the beginning of the Eighties for a better access to salmon fishing.