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FFAW Welcomes New Fisheries Minister with Call to Protect Inshore Fishery

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FFAW Welcomes New Fisheries Minister with Call to Protect Inshore Fishery
November 20, 2019

FFAW Welcomes New Fisheries Minister with Call to Protect Inshore Fishery

St. John’s, NL – Fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are calling on newly appointed Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Bernadette Jordan to make the protection and promotion of independent, owner-operator fish harvesters a key priority as she assumes her new ministerial portfolio.

“In its first term, the federal Liberal government made significant progress for inshore fish harvesters by amending the Fisheries Act to enshrine key policies that ensure the wealth and benefits of the inshore fishery remain with coastal communities, not corporations,” said Keith Sullivan, FFAW-Unifor President. “However, much more policy enforcement is required to address the proliferation of controlling agreements in the inshore fishery.”

In addition to addressing corporation concentration and control within the inshore fishery, fish harvesters are calling on Minister Jordan to formalize the federal government’s commitment to allocating the first 115,000 mt of northern cod to inshore harvesters, address unfairness and inequity in allocations of several species important to Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters including halibut, mackerel, northern cod and redfish, and to take immediate steps to bring seal populations back to sustainable levels.

Minister Bernadette Jordan represents the Nova Scotia riding of South Shore – St. Margaret’s and has previously served as Minister for Rural Economic Development and as the Chair of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

“Federal leadership is needed to ensure the inshore fishery continues to play a significant role in the economic development and sustainability of coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Sullivan. “FFAW members look forward to working with Minister Jordan to address the challenges facing our industry and to build on the progress made over the past four years.”

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Courtney Glode

FFAW-Unifor Communications

cglode@ffaw.net

709-743-4445

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Dr. Erin Carruthers

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.