Standing together for the long-term sustainability of coastal Newfoundland and Labrador.
FFAW-Unifor is Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest private-sector trade union, representing over 14,000 workers in Newfoundland and Labrador’s independent, small-boat fishery—including license holders, crew members, processing plant workers, dockside monitors, and science technicians. We also represent workers in hotels, brewing, metal fabrication, offshore, and more. We operate a unique trade union model with most of our work focusing on the long-term economic sustainability of coastal communities.
Through negotiating fair fish pricing, addressing workplace safety and policy concerns, and establishing industry-leading collective bargaining standards, the union has championed the interests of its members for over five decades. As the leading advocate for the owner-operator fishery, FFAW-Unifor fights to preserve the economic sustainability of coastal communities and their deep-rooted cultural traditions.
Dr. Erin Carruthers is the Science Director and Senior Fisheries Scientist with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), which is the labour union that represents the owner-operator fleet in Newfoundland and Labrador. The FFAW is committed to research and management that supports healthy oceans, fisheries, and coastal communities. Dr. Carruthers received her Ph. D. in Biology from Memorial University in 2011 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. Before coming to Newfoundland, Erin worked as a Research Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the St. Andrews Biological Station. Her current research program is co-constructed with fish harvesters and includes research on coastal fishing communities, collaborative longline and trap surveys, and best practices for the avoidance, handling and release of unwanted catch.
