FFAW Meets With Federal Minister To Discuss Recent Remarks

Members of the FFAW-Unifor Executive including Inshore Council members met with Minister Joyce Murray yesterday evening to discuss our concerns regarding her recent comments on the fisheries. The Minister clarified that it was never her intention to suggest the need to leave fish from healthy resources in the water to reduce carbon and emphasized that the vast majority of stocks in our province are healthy. She stated that harvesters must be an integral part the Blue Economy, recognizing the growth and the stability of the industry as an economic driver.

The Minister expressed her commitment to supporting, nurturing, and growing coastal areas, and agreed that there is a lot of positive developments and successes in the fishing industry to be celebrated. Members of the Executive spoke of the need for stronger representation and contribution in fisheries management strategies and decisions, as the sustainability of the resource directly impacts their livelihood.

We appreciate the opportunity for a constructive, responsive dialogue with the Minister, and her assertion of the distinct value of the industry on the world’s stage, the interconnectedness with other industries such as tourism, and the importance of the Department to better promote the community based owner-operator fishery.