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May 28, 1998
(Fisheries and Aquaculture)


The following statement was issued today by John Efford, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Increase in 3Ps cod quota good news for economy

Yesterday, my federal counterpart, David Anderson announced that as part of the 1998 groundfish management plan, there will be a 20,000-tonne quota for 3Ps cod this year. This quota, double what it was in 1997, is based on a recommendation of the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, and reflects what appears to be a steady improvement in the status of that cod stock.

This is very positive news for our fishing industry, particularly on the south coast. Close to 1,000 core fishing enterprises are expected to be involved in the 3Ps cod fishery. The additional quota will expand the fishing operations for these vessels, and provide additional income for several thousand harvesters involved. The additional 22 million pounds of cod this year will also create an additional 9,300 person weeks of employment for 1,000 plant workers or more, creating even more spin-off benefits to the economy.

I must emphasize that if this cod fishery is to be as successful as I know it can be, quality assurance must be a priority for everyone involved. Everyone must co-operate to ensure that we do not have a repeat of last year's situation when practically all landings and processing occurred over a very short time frame. It is encouraging that many harvesters have agreed to stagger their landings this year to ensure that we have the best quality product possible.

While we must recognize that some other groundfish stocks are not recovering as we would like, we must also not lose sight of the fact that we have other fisheries that are doing well and are making significant economic and employment contributions to our economy. Last year, for the first time in four years, total landings exceeded 200,000 metric tonnes.

Our fisheries are off to a good start this year. The early price settlements for crab and shrimp have allowed these fisheries to begin on a timely basis. Right now, approximately 80 fish plants are in production around the province.

About 6,000 plant workers are working right now processing fish. Other plants and jobs will come on stream later. Between 6,500 and 7,000 plant workers will be employed when crab processing reaches its peak. As I indicated to the House last week, the significant increase in the northern shrimp quota for the inshore sector this year will provide new employment this year. Approximately 1,000 harvesters and another 1,000 plant workers will be involved in the northern shrimp fishery within the next few weeks. I anticipate that the inshore shrimp fishery this year will have a landed value of $50 million and an export value of $100 million.

Combined with the successes of these and other fisheries such as our sealing sector, the increase in the 3Ps cod quota will further assist in generating new wealth and help put our fishing industry on a more stable footing for the long-term benefits of everyone involved. I fully anticipate that the export value of our fishery this year will surpass the 1997 value of $575 million, again demonstrating the significant contribution that our fishery makes to the economy.

1998 05 28                         4:20 p.m.


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