Between Chinese tariffs, the refusal of major Newfoundland processors to pay fair market value for product and ineligibility for help through the federal government’s Regional Tariff Response Initiative, 2025 was devastating for Newfoundland and Labrador sea cucumber harvesters, according to the union representing fishermen.
“Landings for 2025 will certainly be down as only a few small companies bought sea cucumber from a handful of harvesters, while inexplicably, the big boys — namely OCI and Royal Greenland — refused to buy,” said Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) Secretary-Treasurer Jamie Baker.
“Given that others bought at the price of 69 cents established by third party market reporting and set by the N.L. Fish Price-Setting Panel, this decision by these huge companies not to buy is certainly viewed as a malicious attack on harvesters and a grand bit of pouting that their ridiculously low price was not accepted by the panel. Even more disgusting was Royal Greenland’s subsequent attempt to circumvent the rules and screw their own N.L. harvesters by trying to buy cheaper product from St. Pierre-Miquelon — a move we stopped in its tracks on the wharf in Grand bank earlier this fall,” said Baker.
“The assertion by the federal government that fish harvesters are ineligible to apply for tariff relief through the established response program is yet another slap in the face, given that the processing companies that helped cause this issue are entirely eligible to apply for support. The FFAW asked for one-80th of the entire program funding to fix the problem, which is peanuts when you look at the scope of tariff impacts across many sectors. If the Canada Revenue Agency recognizes fishing enterprises as businesses (SMEs — small and medium enterprises), then the rest of the federal government should as well,” Baker added.
The FFAW-Unifor wrote to the federal government last fall requesting the parameters for federal support eligibility to assist sea cucumber harvesters who have lost the bulk of their 2025 fishing season due to crippling 25 per cent Chinese tariffs on Canadian seafood be adjusted.
The federal government’s Regional Tariff Response Initiative, administered through ACOA, promises $80 million over three years to help small and medium-sized enterprises impacted by tariffs.
“When our union tried to assist harvesters in applying for this program, we were told they don’t qualify — despite suffering catastrophic losses — and that the fund explicitly excludes compensation for direct tariff-related damages. This is unacceptable,” said Baker.
The FFAW said harvesters, who have invested upwards of $1 million in gear, vessels and operations, are facing bankruptcy and mounting debts as a direct result of the tariffs — imposed in retaliation to Canadian trade measures — and exacerbated by unreasonable demands from seafood processors.
“The initiative’s funds remain accessible to large seafood processors — the very companies that contributed to the crisis by delaying the season’s opening, insisting on unfeasible prices unsupported by market evidence, and attempting to bypass the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Price Setting Panel. These actions, combined with the tariffs, have left independent harvesters as the sole victims in a fishery that typically covers critical bills and seasonal debts.”
According to Paul McGrath, ACOA director of communications in N.L., ACOA has not excluded any sector from the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI).
“To be eligible, applicants must first show they have been affected by tariffs and projects are then assessed to determine whether they will help businesses adapt and stay competitive. The RTRI is not intended to replace lost revenue or provide compensation for tariff-related losses, such as lost export opportunities. Instead, the initiative makes investments that help businesses respond to trade disruptions and prepare for future impacts, rather than reimbursing past or ongoing losses,” said McGrath.
“The seafood sector is one of several sectors across Atlantic Canada affected by tariffs and ACOA continues to accept applications from business operators seeking support to become more productive and competitive internationally,” McGrath added.
There are 49 active commercial sea cucumber licences in 3Ps and about 10 or 12 exploratory permits in 3L, said Baker.
“I would say yes, all harvesters were impacted by Chinese tariffs, given that the bulk of product goes to China in frozen format. There has been some market diversification with product going to other countries, including a fairly valuable dried market in the United States. Additionally, the Chinese had been attempting to farm sea cucumber, but it hasn’t achieved either the quality or success some had hoped, especially compared to the wild Atlantic product,” said Baker.
Baker said the FFAW has had several discussions with the incoming provincial government, more generally on finding ways to curtail the bad behaviour and bad faith actions of processing companies in this province.
“Holding a fish processing licence is a privilege and needs to come with much more stringent rules and clearly identified expectations,” he said.
The FFAW-Unifor has called on the provincial government to investigate the anti-competitive actions of OCI and Royal Greenland, implement clear conditions on processing licenses, enforce real consequences for companies that undermine the collective bargaining process and the sustainability of the inshore fleet and hold processors accountable for the privilege of operating in Newfoundland and Labrador.
