Most of the fisheries organizations throughout Atlantic Canada have issued a joint call for provincial and federal fisheries ministers to convene an emergency meeting to deal with the crisis that engulfs the whole lobster market. The situation is so critical that it threatens the survival thousands of small fishing enterprises throughout the region.
The organist ions such as the members of the FFAW/CAW in Newfoundland and Labrador; the Maritime Fishermen’s Union in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; the PEI Fishermen’s Association; the Regroupement des Pecheurs Professionnel du Sud de la Gaspesie in Quebec have come together under one roof calling for government to intervene in the wake of reports that lobster prices in the days ahead could drop down to anywhere from $3.50 to $2.75 per pound.
FFAW Secretary-Treasurer David Decker expressed that they are looking at prices that has the potential to destroy the Atlantic lobster fishery, along with the harvesters and communities that depend on it to survive. He also said that it is good to realize that lobster is the most important fishery for small enterprises in the less-than-45-foot fleet in rural communities throughout Atlantic Canada.
According to Decker it is extremely important for the government to step in as the problems affect the national economy very badly. Christian Brun of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) comments that governments have ignored the crucial Atlantic Canadian fishing industry for too long. This is a sad reality because some great ideas for fundamental structural adjustments of our fisheries are on the table and these are crucial if this industry is to tap into the enormous potential the future offers, admits Brun.
Kay Wallace, representing the Gulf Nova Scotia Bonafide Fishermen’s Association, said that the Atlantic fisheries organizations want the provincial and federal ministers to work with them to find solutions to help harvesters survive this year, but also to develop a longer term plan to ensure the future viability of the Atlantic lobster industry through improved marketing and rationalization.
