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Announcement positive news for province�s crab fishers The conversion of temporary seasonal snow crab permits into regular licences, is a positive measure for crab harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador. Gerry Reid, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, today commended Robert Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, for announcing the new policy. "The province, industry and unions have been lobbying the federal government on this issue in recent years, and I am pleased that Minister Thibault has agreed to convert these temporary permits into licences," said Minister Reid. "This move will provide stability to those in the under 35 foot fleet, who deserve to have the certainty of a licence year over year, as opposed to temporary permits which could have been revoked at anytime." The new policy announced by Minister Thibault in St. John�s today, will convert all temporary permits into permanent licences. The under 35 foot sector were first issued a limited number of temporary seasonal permits in 1995. Subsequent to 1995, these permits were made available to all core enterprises in the sector who met the established criteria. "Today, more than 2,500 small boat operations participate in the crab fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador, and they have demonstrated the ability to harvest this resource in a successful and effective manner," added the minister. "Similar to other fleets in the province, the crab fishery is essential to viability of the under 35 foot fleet, which is why today�s announcement is so significant for these harvesters." Minister Thibault also announced that DFO is in the process of implementing a proposal by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW), which would allow for a "buddy-up" arrangement between licence holders. This would allow two licence holders to form a temporary partnership and fish two quotas from a single vessel. DFO has added an option to the FFAW proposal which would allow fishers to permanently combine crab licences and Individual Quotas (IQ) within the same crab area. "I support the proposal of the FFAW and Minister Thibault�s implementation of the "buddy-up" system," said Minister Reid. "Obviously, we must be vigilant and ensure that this does not result in concentration of ownership, however we will work with industry and DFO to guarantee that proper checks and balances are put into place for the future viability and stability of the fishery. This system will not be fully implemented until December 2004, and I feel that this will give us enough time to develop a sound and rational policy which will be for the benefit of Newfoundland and Labrador crab fishers." Media contact: Elizabeth Matthews, Communications, (709) 729-3733, or (709) 727-3438. 2003 02 14 1:20 p.m. |
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