ASP Member, Royal Greenland, Deliberately Hurting NL Inshore Fishery

Royal Greenland, a crown corporation of Greenland and member of ASP that owns a significant share of the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery, is deliberately acting in poor faith and causing economic distress to inshore harvesters in NL.

Royal Greenland in Quebec has been buying Northern Shrimp from Quebec harvesters, caught in Newfoundland and Labrador waters, for $1.38/lb and are only offering NL harvesters a mere $0.90. The Company has also been processing offshore “industrial” shrimp at the plant in St. Anthony since May and paid well above $1.38/lb for it. This shrimp is twice frozen and worth less per pound on the market than locally harvested fresh shrimp. Harvesters and people of the province are supportive of this because it adds value and important work. However, it is not acceptable that processing companies with provincial processing licenses granted to support the inshore shrimp fishery use it to undermine local harvesters and continue to dismiss them in favour of those in Greenland, Quebec, or offshore companies.

It is not as if the price in other provinces is different than in Quebec. New Brunswick are paying the same prices as Quebec and the last trip a NL harvester made to Nova Scotia, he received $1.45/lb.

Royal Greenland is not alone. Ocean Choice International has all the benefits of shrimp from offshore factory trawlers but will not buy shrimp from inshore harvesters and are leaving nearly one hundred plant workers in Port aux Choix in limbo by ignoring them at a time when the operation is usually operating. ASP member processing companies have an obligation to support the local economy of our province and yet their actions deliberately undermine the inshore fishery and threaten bankrupting shrimp fleets. Royal Greenland should not be afforded the immense privilege if they continue to pay $1.38 for the same product in other provinces while refusing to do the same for NL harvesters. OUR PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT MUST ACT.