November 18, 2011
Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador Partner
with Fishing Industry to Fund Lobster Sustainability Plan
The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced that a sustainability and conservation plan developed by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW), on behalf of lobster harvesters in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region, has been approved under the Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures Program.
Under the Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures Program, the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will each contribute over $9 million. The program encourages the long-term sustainability and economic prosperity for the lobster fishery in Atlantic Canada by supporting conservation practices that maintain and enhance lobster stocks, improve catch monitoring and fishing effort reporting.
“Our government recognizes how important the lobster industry is to Newfoundland and Labrador, and I am proud that our government has worked with the industry and province to put in place measures to help lobster fishermen through tough economic times,” said Minister Ashfield. "In addition, the conservation plan announced today will help ensure sustainability and economic prosperity of the lobster fishery into the future.”
“The Provincial Government was pleased to collaborate on this important initiative to achieve better outcomes for participants in the provincial lobster industry,” said Minister King. “This unique arrangement, made possible with the support of our federal counterparts, will significantly enhance conservation measures and improve the viability of lobster fishing enterprises in economically challenged areas of the province that are highly reliant on this resource.”
The plan comprises three elements: a science and conservation plan to be implemented in all Newfoundland and Labrador Lobster Fishing Areas and in southwest and western Newfoundland, trap reductions and a lobster enterprise retirement program. Conservation and stewardship efforts such as these improve lobster population productivity and ensure adequate fishery, biological and ecosystem impact information is gathered to support fisheries management and science processes.
As well the lobster harvesters in western and southwestern Newfoundland (Lobster Fishing Areas 11 to 14B) will reduce the total number of lobster traps by 47,200 or 16 per cent of the total traps fished. The value of this lobster trap reduction is $11.4 million. Lobster trap reductions and retirements reduce fishing effort and can increase the average income of remaining participants.
"We developed this proposal, with the full participation of our affected membership, with two objectives in mind - improving the sustainability of the resource and improving incomes for people who depend on the lobster fishery for their livelihood," said Earle McCurdy, President of Fish, Food and Allied Workers.
The Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures Program announced by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2009 covers all lobster fishing areas in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Lobster fishing organizations can secure funding from the program by developing a sustainability plan for approval. Details are available on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/fish-ren-peche/lobster-homard/alsm-mdih-eng.htm 
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Media contacts:
| Jason Card Director of Communications Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture 709-729-3733, 699-0470 jasoncard@gov.nl.ca |
Barbara Mottram Press Secretary Office of the Minister Fisheries and Oceans Canada 613-992-3474 |
Jan Woodford Regional Director Communications Fisheries and Oceans Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Region 709-772-7622 |
Earle McCurdy President Fish, Food and Allied Workers St. John’s NL 709-576-7276 |
BACKGROUNDER
Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador Partner
with Fishing Industry to Fund Lobster Sustainability Plan
The Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures Program announced by the Government of Canada in 2009 committed $50 million for Lobster Fishing Areas to develop and implement sustainability plans for their resource.
A conservation and sustainability plan developed by the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW), in consultation with local lobster harvesters, has been approved under the Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures Program. The federal and provincial governments are contributing to funding the plan presented by the FFAW. The federal and provincial contribution is over $18 million.
The plan comprises three elements: a science and conservation plan; trap reductions and a lobster enterprise retirement program.
- The science and conservation plan includes enhanced science and data collection primarily from the use of mandatory fishing logbooks, a harvester science field book, and an at-sea sampling program. The science and conservation plan will apply in all Newfoundland Lobster Fishing Areas. Fishing logbook data provides useful scientific information on fishing effort, catch and numbers of traps lost. A logbook program is used in most commercial fisheries and is part of licence conditions at no extra cost to harvesters. The harvester science field book program will provide additional detail on catch and effort to help verify the data collected under the mandatory log book program. It will also provide additional data on recruitment and abundance along with other observations. Conservation and stewardship efforts such as these improve lobster population productivity and ensure adequate fishery, biological and ecosystem impact information is gathered to support fisheries management and science processes.
- In addition, the plan will result in reduced fishing effort through trap reductions and a lobster enterprise retirement program. Given the high degree of dependence on the lobster fishery on the west and southwest coasts of Newfoundland, these two programs will apply in Lobster Fishing Areas 11, 12, 13A, 13B, 14A and 14B. Through the trap reductions, lobster harvesters in these areas will reduce the total number of lobster traps fished by 47,200, valued at $11.4 million. Lobster trap reductions and retirements reduce fishing effort and can increase the average income of remaining participants.
- These harvesters will also have an opportunity to participate in a lobster enterprise retirement program. The plan aims to retire a percentage of the lobster enterprises on a voluntary basis. This process is being finalized and will be cost-shared: fishing industry 40 per cent; provincial government 30 per cent; federal government 30 per cent.
2011 11 18 10:05 a.m.