Fisheries and Aquaculture
May 27, 2015

Supporting Gulf Halibut Harvesters

House of Assembly Calls on the Federal Government to Reverse Atlantic Halibut Allocation Decision

The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly unanimously passed a private member�s motion today condemning and seeking the immediate reversal of last week�s Atlantic halibut quota allocation decision by federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Honourable Gail Shea. This decision ignores the established sharing arrangement for halibut quotas in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and continues to erode Newfoundland and Labrador�s share.

�I am pleased the House of Assembly has unanimously supported this important motion. Minister Shea�s decision has ignored the established allocation formula for Atlantic Halibut in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and can be added to an ever-growing list of Federal Government decisions that are negatively impacting our province. The fact that members of all three parties in the provincial legislature have supported this motion speaks to the importance of this issue to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in all regions of our province.�
- The Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture

Minister Granter wrote to Minister Shea on May 21, the day her decision was announced, outlining the province�s deep concerns with this most recent Gulf halibut quota allocation. A copy of the letter is available at: www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2015/fishaq/0522n01_letter.pdf

The Provincial Government will continue to support the families and communities who rely on this resource and advocate on behalf of fish harvesters for a fair share of Gulf halibut in accordance with the established sharing arrangement.

The private member�s motion can be found in the backgrounder below.

QUICK FACTS

• Today the House of Assembly unanimously passed a private member�s motion condemning and seeking immediate reversal of the Federal Government�s decision to divide the 172.8-tonne increase in the halibut quota equally among eight groups instead of respecting this province�s established share of 29.1 per cent.
• The Federal Government�s May 21 decision means the Newfoundland and Labrador inshore fixed-gear fleet will receive approximately 21 tonnes of the increase instead of the 50 tonnes it should receive based on the established sharing arrangement.
• The decision effectively takes away halibut from Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters to the benefit of Maritime Provinces.
• Minister Granter wrote Minister Shea on May 21 outlining the province�s deep concerns with this most recent Gulf halibut quota allocation. A copy of the letter is available at: www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2015/fishaq/0522n01_letter.pdf

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Media contact:

Roger Scaplen Director of Communications Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture 709-729-3733, 697-5267 rogerscaplen@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER
Private Member�s Resolution

BE IT RESOLVED that this Honourable House condemns and seeks the immediate reversal of the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans decision to divide the 172.8�ton increase in the halibut quota equally among eight groups instead of respecting this Province�s traditional share of 29.1% - a decision that will reduce the additional share available to Newfoundland and Labrador from 50 tons to about 21 tons.

2015 05 27                              5:50 p.m.