November 18, 1998
(Fisheries and Aquaculture)

The following statement was issued today by R. John Efford, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Now that the peak period of activity for our commercial fisheries has passed, I am pleased to provide Honourable Members with an overview of the industry's performance so far this year.

Preliminary figures indicate that to date, there has been an increase in employment, an increase in landings, an increase in landed value, and an increase in export value.

For the January to October period this year, up to 25,000 people were directly employed in the fishing industry.

For that period, the average monthly employment in the fish harvesting and processing sectors was 17,400. That is an increase of 2,000 - or 13 per cent - over the same period in 1997. Of that increase, 1,100 were employed in the harvesting sector, and 900 in the processing sector.

What I find most encouraging is not only that more people were directly employed by the fishery, but that many were working for longer periods than previously.

Furthermore, we estimate that this fishing activity is generating the equivalent of an additional 5,900 jobs elsewhere in the provincial economy.

In short, the fishing industry is responsible for close to 31,000 direct and indirect jobs in this province. Clearly, the fishery is contributing in no small measure to the fact that this fall 208,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were employed. That's an employment level not reached in this province in many years.

Figures for fish landings for the first 10 months are not yet available. However, I am pleased to report that for the January to September period this year, approximately 206,600 tonnes of fish were landed, having a landed value of close to $320 million. Add the landed value of seals to that and the total landed value was $331 million.

What is significant, is that landings for the first nine months this year were up substantially by 48,000 tonnes over the same period in 1997. That's an increase of 30 per cent.

The landed value increased by $83 million - or 35 per cent - for the same period. The increases reflect a 10,000-tonne increase in landings and $22 million in landed value of snow crab.

Most noteworthy is the fact that the 49,000 tonnes of northern shrimp landed by the inshore and offshore sectors was more than double the landings for the same period in 1997, and the landed value of this species jumped from $63 million to $115 million. Most of this increase resulted from an approximate 20,000-tonne increase in new inshore northern shrimp fishery.

In terms of the export value of our products, preliminary figures indicate that the estimated export value of $585 million for the first nine months of 1998 has exceeded the export value for the entire 12 months of 1997.

Our commercial fisheries are making a significant contribution to our economy, particularly in rural areas where close to 25,000 people are earning a livelihood from our renewable marine resources. Not every plant is open, not every person who would like to be working in the fishery is doing so.

What is significant is the direction the fishery is taking. Many plant workers are working for longer periods. Better prices to fish harvesters reflect, among other things, the implementation of new quality assurance measures. The harvesting sector is evolving as multi-species operations. Private sector investment in such species as shrimp is strong, indicating the confidence the industry has in the direction the fishery is taking.

All these factors are creating a more stable and viable fishing industry that will be even stronger as work continues to diversify the industry and develop new fisheries and underutilised species.

These development initiatives, combined with a sound quality assurance program and market development strategies, will ensure that our fishery will continue as a strong indicator of solid economic and employment growth in this province.

Furthermore, I am working with my colleague, the Minister of Development and Rural Renewal, to develop a policy to utilize what is now a waste product in crab and shrimp shells, as well as fish offal. This policy will mean total utilization of all of our fish products and will increase the landed and export value of our fisheries, and create even more employment opportunities.

1998 11 18                          2:15 p.m.