Fishermen of New Brunswick had greeted Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea with frustration and disappointment over the lobster aid. It is informed that the men stood silent for minutes as Shea announced in Escuminac that lobster fishermen in Atlantic Canada and Quebec can now apply for up to $5,000 in one-time help from a $15-million, short-term aid package that was announced in June in response to the collapse of lobster prices.
However, Minister Shea told the crowd that the help would only be available to fishermen who collected under $50,000 in revenue in 2009, and who also recorded a 25 percent drop in revenue compared to last year. A few men stated loudly and plainly that none of the fishermen standing on that wharf would qualify for the help.
The local fishermen have explained their woes to Shea and the press people present there that they aren’t eligible because the criteria measures gross rather than net revenues, and doesn’t account for the expenses that eat into those earnings. Some fishermen have suggested that the only individuals who could benefit from the aid would be those who decided to stop fishing early in the season because they couldn’t keep up with expenses. Shea agreed that something must be done about the growing gap between revenues and expenses.
