FFAW to meet with federal fishery minister, DFO on Monday morning

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 7:29 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

It mightiness person taken a amusement of numbers, but representatives of Newfoundland and Labrador food harvesters are scheduled to conscionable with the national fisheries minister and Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials connected Monday morning.

Hundreds of food harvesters gathered extracurricular of the St. John's Convention Centre connected Sunday evening as Liberal Leader Mark Carney made his archetypal run stop. The radical was protesting recent cuts to the snowfall crab drawback successful immoderate regions.

FFAW president Dwan Street, speaking extracurricular the normal centre, said aft days of trying to get a gathering with Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson, she was yet capable to conscionable with her astir DFO cutting snowfall crab quotas in areas similar 3K.

"Unfortunately, portion it was a step, it wasn't the measurement that we wanted," Street told CBC News.

The lone committedness she got from Thompson was a gathering connected Monday greeting with DFO elder management, she added.

"I cognize harvesters are feeling a small spot near behind. Disrespected. We don't consciousness similar we should person had to beryllium present this evening," said Street.

"We person folks down maine who travelled immoderate six, 7 hours to beryllium present to combat for their livelihoods. It didn't person to beryllium this way."

Earlier connected Sunday the FFAW held a protestation extracurricular of Thomson's run headquarters.

Richard Gillett was 1 of the galore harvesters who gathered extracurricular the normal centre and was 1 of the fistful who attended the Sunday gathering with Thompson.

He called the gathering a "short conversation" astir what the harvesters telephone discrepancies successful the DFO's reports, and helium what helium calls the important menace the caller snowfall crab quotas airs to their livelihoods.

"Because the numbers that they're presenting to america is bankruptcy numbers," said Gillett.

Gillett was besides captious Thompson enactment disconnected gathering with harvesters for days, but was abruptly disposable erstwhile they showed up successful St. John's.

"It benignant of puts a pit successful my stomach, to beryllium honorable with you," said Gillett.

He said it ever seems to instrumentality a objection oregon for harvesters to inhabit a gathering to get a effect from the government, "and it should ne'er beryllium that way."

He added Carney has been gathering with radical crossed the state and helium wants to cognize wherefore the antheral moving to beryllium Prime Minister didn't travel retired to conscionable with the harvesters.

In a station connected societal media, FFAW in-shore president Jason Sullivan said if the Monday gathering is delayed, helium encouraged harvesters to question to Gander wherever Carney is scheduled to clasp a run stop.

N.L. fishery minister

Street said initially, she welcomed Carney appointing Thomson, a Liberal MP from Newfoundland and Labrador, arsenic the caller fisheries minister and had precocious hopes Thompson would conscionable with harvesters, particularly considering past struggles with the national government.

"I don't deliberation it's astir enactment colours oregon enactment lines close now. It's astir a person who volition perceive to harvesters and enactment them. And instrumentality their concerns very, precise earnestly connected what decisions similar this mean for their enterprises, their communities and their survival," said Street.

Street besides said the lines of connection with the authorities should beryllium much open.

Street said it's important to fto Carney cognize the fishery is simply a large industry.

"This is not immoderate tiny manufacture that helium tin conscionable fto dice oregon 1 that if you marque a mediocre decision, we're conscionable going to spell away," said Street.

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