Des Nobels is ready for his close up!

Des Nobels is the subject of
a feature article in a new
online journal on
Coastal issues
(photo from the
Sealives Initiative)

An icon of the North Coast Fishery and environmental movement is the focus of an ongoing series of profiles of those with ties to British Columbia's coastal environment, as The Sealives Initiative takes a look at the life and times of Des Nobels.

The most recent item of the series was published on July 21st and digs into the wealth of knowledge that Nobels has stored away through his 63 years, a period of time that saw him as a working commercial fisherman, regional politician, and long time environmental advocate for the North Coast.

The feature story explores the many changes that Mr. Nobels has seen in the North Coast fishery over the decades, providing a glimpse into some of the many stories and issues that have framed the fishery discussion across the region.

A good portion of the article explores the issues that continue to have an impact on the fishery today, from quotas and ownership concentration, as well as in how the budget cuts to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has had significant impact on the state of the fishery on the West Coast.

Among his observations is the theme of a fishery that has been sold out to corporations and others far removed from the resources that are harvested on the North Coast.

One thing the BC fishery has in common with other, more well-supported resource-based industries, however, is the fact that it has been sold out from under the noses of the Canadian public to corporations, banks or a limited number of wealthy individuals, many of whom are not even Canadian or pay Canadian taxes.

The overview makes for a helpful tutorial for those looking for insight into the commercial fishing industry and how much of the long time expertise at the DFO offices has been lost through retirements and how, as Nobels notes there is now significantly less consultation and collaboration among all resource users.

The feature on Des Nobels can be reviewed here, with the prospect of further insight from him to come through future articles for the project.

The series of stories on life in Coastal British Columbia started in February and the index highlights a number of stories that are also worth a review, most recently a look few looks at life on Haida Gwaii

A tale of Old Massett and the Surivovor Paradox
Lessons in Personal Sustainability on the edge of the world
The Land - Sea Link in Haida Gwaii - A people fight for their resource and their future


The theme of the Sealives initiative, which is based in Vancouver, is to showcase ocean conservation issues through articles and photos, you can learn more about the project here.

More items of interest on North Coast community notes can be found here.


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