John Efford emerged from a meeting with fisheries minister Elvis Loveless Friday to tell protesting fish harvesters there is a deal with the provincial government.

“I think we’ve got a good deal,” Efford said through a bull horn alongside FFAW President Greg Pretty.

The deal will allow any species to be sold to any outside buyer, which will be overseen by a committee that will include Efford, Pretty and a processor.

“The deal was not a deal that was forced upon me,” Efford added, saying he was instrumental in the deal. “This is a deal that I see as being the best deal.”

The announcement came after two days of protests at Confederation Building calling for “free enterprise” in the fishery.

Fish harvesters met with the minister this morning after price negotiations broke down with the Association of Seafood Producers.

The FFAW and ASP had been trying to work out a market-based pricing formula for snow crab, but the talks stalled on Thursday. The two parties will present their final offers to the province’s price-setting panel, which will select one of the two formulas for implementation this fishing season.

Harvesters and plant workers spent the lats two days protesting at Confederation Building, delaying the provincial budget by a day. Today, the FFAW and protest leaders secured a meeting with the fisheries minister on the condition that they not protest this morning. Protesters and police are still on standby.