The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, today reported that the fishing industry Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) process is nearing completion. The MOU was signed in July 2009 by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) and Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), with the Provincial Government. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has also been participating in an ex-officio capacity. The work is being carried out by working groups which report to a steering committee that is chaired by Professor Tom Clift of Memorial University's School of Business.

"The working groups, steering committee, and staff in my department have been working very hard during the summer months to bring the MOU process to a conclusion," said Minister Jackman. "They are now down to the critical elements of what needs to be done to address the long-term structural issues in the province's fishing industry. These are very complex issues and there are a number of difficult problems that the working groups are addressing."

Over 60 meetings of the MOU steering committee and working groups have taken place since the MOU was signed in July 2009. Thirty of these meetings were held throughout this summer. The working groups are in the final stages of analysis and are expected to report to the chair of the steering committee within the next week. At that time, the chair will consider their findings and recommendations, and prepare a report to be presented to the minister.

"The issues that the steering committee will be reporting on have broad ranging impacts," said Minister Jackman. "These include improving the viability of the industry, creating better employment prospects and increasing market returns on our seafood products. The report of the chair will be examined to determine whether the proposed course of action should be supported as the appropriate means to meet these challenges."

Financial assessments of the harvesting and processing sectors have been reviewed and further financial analysis was carried out over the summer months. This analysis will be used to provide recommendations for restructuring the harvesting and processing sectors.

The marketing working group has identified a range of options for more collaborative sales and marketing efforts. They held a workshop in early August which included representation from international seafood marketing experts. The group examined experiences with seafood sales consortiums in other jurisdictions including Iceland, Norway and Alaska.

"I look forward to receiving the final report from Professor Clift," said Minister Jackman. "I expect that it will include recommendations that the Federal Government will seriously consider and support on their merits.

"The proposals put forward by the parties to the MOU have been extensively reviewed and analysed. My department has facilitated a process to consider all of the proposals received so that the chair of the steering committee can make an independent assessment. While this has taken longer than anticipated, I am pleased with the level of dedication that the parties to the MOU have demonstrated and I am confident that the process is now entering the final stages."

The MOU was developed to provide a plan to address the long-term structural issues in the province's fishing industry. It builds on the work of the Fishing Industry Renewal Strategy that was developed with the Government of Canada and announced in April 2007.

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Media contact:

Lori Lee Oates
Director of Communications
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
709-729-3733, 690-8403
oatesll@gov.nl.ca