FFAW calling on Ottawa for economic support

Posted: June 5, 2023 2:36 pm | Last Updated: June 5th, 2023 8:02 pm
By David Salter



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Weeks after the resumption of the crab fishery, the FFAW is calling on Ottawa for economic support to address income shortages this year due to lower catch prices. The FFAW says harvesters and fish plant workers will be hard-pressed to survive the upcoming season.

Today, FFAW-Unifor launched a campaign for federal support for those impacted by the post-pandemic collapse in the snow crab fishery. The proposal includes income support requests for fish harvesters, fishery workers, and enterprise owners, to address significant income shortages this year and provide the help needed to make it to next season.

According to the FFAW, the fishery is a reliable, sustainable, and important source of economic development for coastal communities with over 7,500 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians relying on the crab solely or mostly for their livelihood. The current crisis can be attributed to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, pandemic stimulus spending in the United States, the Russian/Ukraine challenge and Russia’s takeover of Japanese seafood markets, all contributing to the market collapse and subsequent 70 per cent drop in market prices from last year.  “Both federal and provincial governments declared fish harvesters and plant workers essential workers during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic – critical to both the economy and food supply of the country. Now, these Canadians need help in the form of economic relief from the federal government,” says FFAW-Unifor President Greg Pretty.

NTV’s David Salter is covering the story and will have more details on the NTV Evening Newshour.

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