The FFAW-Unifor will hold rallies in St. John’s and St. Anthony today, calling on the federal government to respect the principles of adjacency and historical attachment when making fisheries management policy decisions.
The rallies coincide with a meeting of the Northern Shrimp Advisory Committee, taking place in St. John’s.
“In recent years, unfair management regimes have placed many of our coastal communities in a very precarious position,” said Keith Sullivan, President of FFAW-Unifor. “The recent stock status update on northern shrimp could be devastating for rural Newfoundland and Labrador if the existing federal policies do not change.”
The inshore shrimp fishery is a major employer in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, with ten plants and hundreds of enterprises employing thousands. In addition to the direct jobs, there are many spin-off jobs in the supply and service sectors arising directly from the shrimp fishery.
“This is about choices,” continued Sullivan. “The federal government can either choose to protect the corporate interest of the offshore or protect the inshore fishery and the thousands of people and communities that depend on it for survival.”
The Northern Shrimp Advisory Committee will be meeting to discuss issues relating to the northern shrimp fishery in 2016 and 2017, including a review of the Last In First Out (LIFO) policy and a review of northern shrimp stocks in SFA 6. FFAW-Unifor staff and fleet chairs will participate in the meeting. Outside the meeting, rallies will be held today at 10:00 a.m. at the Bella Vista in St. John’s and at 10:30 a.m. at the Lion’s Club in St. Anthony. Fish harvesters, plant workers, community leaders and business owners will all be in attendance.
Steve Crocker, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, is also scheduled to address participants at the FFAW-Unifor rally in St. John’s.
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