It is mentioned that lobster harvesters representing all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador are currently occupying the Newfoundland and Labrador office of regional federal minister Peter MacKay. They staged protest and demand that the federal authority should take some stern measures to address what has been a disastrous 2009 lobster season.
FFAW President Earle McCurdy informed that they have mapped out very specifically what the short-term and long-term needs are for lobster harvesters, but to date the federal government has completely ignored the desperate plight of lobster harvesters. It is true that 2009 lobster season has been a complete disaster and yet the federal authority never comes up with any sort of help, direct or indirect.
It is found that the lobster prices this year have fallen below $3 per pound — the lowest levels in decades — leaving many lobster harvesters throughout Atlantic Canada and in Newfoundland and Labrador with doubts as to whether or not they will survive this season. McCurdy said that the federal government can easily help harvesters get through this season, starting with allowing lobster harvesters to make their 2009 EI claims based on their 2008 earnings — and that’s just for starters.
Occupying the federal minister’s office is the latest in a series of events that have taken place thus far this year with respect to lobster. Early in the season, harvesters across the province participated in a four-day tie-up to highlight the concerns of the industry.
