Lobster harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador will be staging an unprecedented four day tie-up this week to kick-start an Atlantic-wide lobster fishery survival campaign.
FFAW/CAW President Earle McCurdy said collapsing lobster prices have fallen to their lowest level in at least 25 years, costing crew members their jobs and crippling the economy of small communities throughout the province, as well as in Quebec and the Maritime Provinces.
“It’s a total disaster,” Mr. McCurdy said. “That’s why we’ve taken the bull by the horns following meetings with other fish harvester organizations in Atlantic Canada.”
Mr. McCurdy said FFAW/CAW officials will be having a conference call with eight other fish harvester organizations in the Maritimes and Quebec tomorrow afternoon to discuss further steps.
The organizations have already asked Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea to convene a meeting with Defence Minister Peter McKay, Human Resources Minister Diane Finlay and the five eastern provincial fisheries ministers along with the participating fish harvester organizations.
“Both short-term and long-term measures are urgently required,” Mr. McCurdy said.
“Income top-up and giving lobster harvesters the option of basing their 2009 EI benefits on their 2008 earnings would be good places to start in terms of short-term measures. Long term needs include funding for a proper marketing strategy and federal and provincial contributions to fleet rationalization programs.”
Mr. McCurdy noted that our competitors in world seafood markets, almost without exception, have provided government funding in the millions of dollars to finance fleet reduction programs. “Everywhere except Canada. How is our industry supposed to compete when our fishing enterprises bear the heavy cost of rationalization all by themselves?”
He said prices dropped on Monday from about $3.50 or $3.60 a pound to $3.00.
“We know the world economy is in tough shape, but that price drop is not justified,” he charged.
The tie-up in this province will start on Thursday of this week and continue through Sunday. Mr. McCurdy said he hopes fish harvester organizations in other provinces will pick up the ball and stage whatever actions they deem appropriate on the heels of the FFAW/CAW action.
He noted that the break-even point for lobster is around the $5.00 mark.
“The federal and provincial governments announced hundreds of millions of dollars of so-called stimulus funding on Monday. What is their plan to help the fishing industry survive the most serious downturn in decades? The future of small communities hangs in the balance.”
