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Holly Greenham, Corey Wells and Bill Greenham of Comfort Cove - Newstead with Crab Catch. Photo by Holly Greenham

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FFAW Condemns DFO’s E-Log Policy and Phone Seizure Overreach; Calls for Minister Intervention

May 20, 2025 / Media Releases

ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) is demanding immediate action from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to address the ongoing issues with

Agreement Reached on Cod

May 14, 2025 / Media Releases, Member Updates

🔵📣AGREEMENT REACHED ON COD Cod negotiations took place this week in St. John’s and a deal was reached with ASP earlier this afternoon. Price setting for cod is incredibly difficult,

Thompson Stays in Federal Fisheries Portfolio

May 14, 2025 / Media Releases, Member Updates

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his cabinet yesterday, with NL’s Joanne Thompson remaining in the federal fisheries portfolio. Other cabinet positions to note include Patty Hajdu who assumes the portfolio

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14,000 working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians - a history steeped in the fishing industry.

FFAW/Unifor

4 days ago

🔴📣 FFAW Condemns DFO’s E-Log Policy and Phone Seizure Overreach; Calls for Minister InterventionST. JOHN’S, NL - The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) is demanding immediate action from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to address the ongoing issues with its mandatory electronic logbook (e-log) policy and the recent invasive seizure of a harvester’s cellphone, which continues to cause increasingly significant distress and disruption for Newfoundland and Labrador’s fish harvesters. FFAW-Unifor is calling for a return to a voluntary implementation, allowing the continued use of paper logs, and an end to overreaching enforcement practices.“DFO’s electronic logbook policy is a poorly executed overreach that ignores the realities of our industry. Harvesters have been vocal about these issues from the start, and our prior communications to DFO made it clear that a forced transition would lead to chaos. The department’s failure to listen has left fish harvesters struggling with unreliable systems and no support,” says FFAW-Unifor President Street.Compounding these issues, a recent incident over the weekend involving FFAW Inshore Council Vice President Jason Sullivan has heightened concerns about DFO’s invasive compliance tactics. Sullivan says DFO violated his privacy when fisheries officers seized his cellphone as part of an investigation into an alleged fishing violation. “DFO violated my privacy when my cellphone was seized. My cellphone isn’t a tool I use for fishing, and DFO wouldn’t clarify why they took it or when it might be returned. I even offered to provide my e-log account, but they proceeded with this gross overstep,” Sullivan says.Moreover, the mandatory e-log system continues to plague harvesters with technical failures. “It’s ridiculous that fish harvesters are left stranded, unable to reach DFO or the e-log providers for assistance,” Street added. “This is causing massive headaches across the industry, disrupting livelihoods and adding unnecessary stress.”FFAW-Unifor also questions the policy’s fairness, particularly for license holders who do not actively fish. “Are these harvesters being forced to purchase an app just to report nothing?” Street asks. “This is a clear example of a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to account for the diverse realities of our fishery.”The Union is asking Minister Joanne Thompson to immediately reinstate a voluntary transition period, allowing harvesters to use paper logs while technical issues are resolved. Additionally, the Union is calling for an end to invasive enforcement practices, such as unwarranted cellphone seizures, and for improved support systems and meaningful consultation with fish harvesters to develop a policy that works for the industry.“We’ve been raising these concerns for months, and DFO’s inaction, coupled with their invasive actions like a personal cell phone seizure, is unacceptable. It’s time for the department to listen to harvesters and fix this mess before it causes further harm to our fishery,” concludes Street. ... See MoreSee Less

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FFAW/Unifor

1 week ago

📣CONCRETE GRAVITY-BASED STRUCTURE AT BALLAST SITEOn May 13th, the West White Rose Concrete Gravity-based Structure (CGS) arrived at the ballast site at the Head of Placentia Bay (Big Shoal South, Southeast of Woody Island, Northeast of Bar Haven), position: N 47°44’36.02”W 54°09’03.16”Harvesters are thanked for their cooperation during the tow through Placentia Bay.The CGS will remain at the inshore site for approximately 4-6 weeks. After this period, the CGS will be towed to the West White Rose Field. More details on this phase of the operation to follow. As harvesters tend to gear near the inshore tow route, please check for any damaged or lost fishing gear that may be attributed to the tow itself. While many mitigations were in place to avoid this, it is possible fishing gear may have been damaged or lost. In this case, compensation is available. Please contact Katie Power, Industry Relations Representative with the details to initiate the process at kpower@ffaw.ca, 709-576-7276 ext 213. ... See MoreSee Less

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FFAW/Unifor

1 week ago

📣MSC BALTIC SALVAGE UPDATERepresentatives from the MSC Baltic have advised as of May 14th salvage operations are ongoing. Approximately 30% of the bulk oil onboard has been removed by barge, the third of six tanks containing heavy fuel is nearly pumped down and 14 additional containers have been removed from the vessel. A short road has been developed to enhance heavy oil removal by multi-purpose vehicle as this provides all-weather access and improved removal capacity. FFAW continues to have routine status update meetings with salvage operator groups. ... See MoreSee Less

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FFAW/Unifor

1 week ago

🔵📣AGREEMENT REACHED ON COD Cod negotiations took place this week in St. John’s and a deal was reached with ASP earlier this afternoon.Price setting for cod is incredibly difficult, but with the commitment of all involved, an agreement was reached at $1.18/lb starting August 1. This is an increase of 13 cents from last years $1.05.The full price schedule is below. The negotiating committee included: 2J – Alton Rumbolt and Harrison Campbell3K – Albert Wells and Lee Melindy3L – Keith Bowen and Steve Ryan3Ps – Kenny Viscount With FFAW staff Dwan Street, Jason Spingle, Sherry Glynn, Onye Oluoha, Ian Ivany, Julian Ryan, and Jamie Baker. Thank you to the negotiating committee for the long hours dedicated to seeing these negotiations through to an agreement. ... See MoreSee Less

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FFAW/Unifor

1 week ago

🔵THOMPSON STAYS IN FEDERAL FISHERIES PORTFOLIO Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his cabinet yesterday, with NL’s Joanne Thompson remaining in the federal fisheries portfolio. Other cabinet positions to note include Patty Hajdu who assumes the portfolio overseeing EI and Nova Scotia’s Sean Fraser who is now responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Adjacency (ACOA). Newly elected MP John Zeucelli assumes the labour file as Secretary of State, rather than Minister as was done under Trudeau’s government. “FFAW-Unifor is looking forward to meeting with Minister Joanne Thompson to discuss key challenges facing those working in the inshore fishery. Thompson did not have a strong start to the portfolio prior to the election being called, but we’re hopeful that the Minister will take the time to understand the inshore fishery and how several decisions under her predecessor have harmed our province,” says FFAW-Unifor Dwan Street. “We are certainly pleased to have a federal fisheries minister so nearby,” Street adds. “There is ample opportunity for Minister Thompson to leave a positive legacy for Newfoundland and Labrador while she is responsible for this portfolio,” Street says. “For our members, top priorities include fair resource allocations – in particular species like cod, redfish, 3K snow crab, halibut, and capelin. The previous minister made several decisions that took away resources and economic opportunity from NL coastal communities and gave it to corporate trawlers. We hope Minister Thompson will right those wrongs,” Street says. The Union also takes issue with the mandatory implementation of electronic logbooks this fishing season. As reported by hundreds of fish harvesters forced to use e-logs this season, implementation has caused endless frustration among users. “DFO has offloaded electronic logbooks onto private business and forced fish harvesters to comply at their own cost,” Street explains. Fish harvesters have faced endless technological issues since adopting the software and the businesses who offer these services have reportedly been largely unhelpful and/or inaccessible in addressing these challenges. “This was entirely predictable, given we have thousands of fish harvesters without access to or experience with smart technology in areas without internet or cellular service,” Street says. “Thompson has an opportunity to listen to fish harvesters and re-think the e-log strategy – ensuring those unable to comply can still access and submit traditional paper logbooks.” FFAW-Unifor has requested a meeting with Minister Thompson at her earliest opportunity to discuss these and other pressing issues facing fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador. ... See MoreSee Less

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