May 21, 2010

Canadian union disagrees with cuts on shrimp quota

The federal government's decision to cut the Northern Shrimp quota is not sitting well with the Fisheries, Food, and Allied Workers Union (FFAW).

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has reduced the catch by about 50 million pounds along the northeast coast of Newfoundland and southern Labrador, and applied the so-called Last In, First Out protocol.

The province's Fisheries Minister, Clyde Jackman said that this gives the offshore sector a greater level of protection than is afforded by the inshore fleet. The Minister said if DFO sticks with the policy the next groups to suffer will be the Fogo Island Co-op and the Innu in Labrador. He said that the province does not dispute the need for the cut but he has problems with the uneven distribution of the cuts, especially when adjacent to the resource.

FFAW President, Earle McCurdy, said that they do not accept the Last In, First Out protocol and questions the policy as applied to the Federal Minister's home province. He said that more thoughts needed to be taken on these decisions. McCurdy said the approach in the Minister's province was different than in their province. He also said that there needed to be a serious rethinking of priorities in future allocation decisions.

McCurdy also said that there needed to be a serious rethinking of priorities in future allocation decisions.

Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said there is no cookie-cutter approach to fisheries management. Minister Shea said decisions such as cutting shrimp quotas are never easy but scientific advice must be respected and the future of the industry must be protected. The Minister said she does not agree with what she calls Liberal MP Gerry Byrne's approach of playing one group of fishermen off against another and said the government respects the specific history of each fishery. Shea stated that the Last In, First Out protocol was a policy under the Liberals, and has been a cornerstone of the Northern Shrimp fishery for over a decade. Shea said her focus is on managing the resource in a fair and reasonable manner for all.