NLIS 5
May 20, 2005
(Fisheries and Aquaculture)
Minister pleased that crab
fishery is opening
Trevor Taylor, Minister of
Fisheries and Aquaculture, is pleased that members of the Fish, Food and
Allied Workers (FFAW) have voted to fish under a raw material sharing (RMS)
pilot project. However, he is concerned about the challenges the
industry still faces, including adjusting to a less valuable crab
fishery that is being felt throughout Atlantic Canada. The minister is
also mindful that the interests of the fishing industry must be balanced
with the need for stable rural economies.
�We�re certainly glad to see that harvesters have voted to start
fishing,� says Minister Taylor. �We�re in the process of coordinating
the independent monitoring committee and developing its terms of
reference. But a degree of cooperation is needed to make this year�s
fishery a productive one.�
�Newfoundland and Labrador�s crab fishery is not alone in facing serious
challenges. We decided to introduce a sharing system when we were
presented in February with forecasts of weaker market conditions. At the
time, Alaska�s crab had declined in the marketplace by 15 per cent in a
year, and now it�s down by 21 per cent. The price harvesters are getting
is also down. Throughout Nova Scotia the wharf price is down at least 33
per cent and in some areas on the Atlantic side it�s over 50 per cent
less than this time last year. It�s the same thing in New Brunswick,
where the wharf price is down 38 per cent. On top of lower prices, the
stronger Canadian dollar is shaving millions off product value, and less
crab is going to be landed along our shores because the federal
government has cut the total allowable catch. Sharing can provide more
stability for rural communities, but no system can reverse such dramatic
marketplace changes.�
�Clearly, no matter what anybody did this year, the value of crab was
going to be lower. Studies have suggested that a sharing system can move
the industry forward and remove some of the uncertainty for plant
workers and rural businesses. While nobody has ever promoted it as a
model of perfection, now we�re going to have a chance to see how sharing
works in practice.�
Media contact: Alex Marland, Communications, (709) 729-3733, 690-6047
Background
information
2005 05 20
3:00 p.m.
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