PROVINCE DELIVERS ON DEMAND FOR COMPETITION AND FAIRNESS
February 20, 2026
ST. JOHN’S, NL – FFAW-Unifor is welcoming a major provincial step toward restoring competition and fairness in Newfoundland and Labrador’s fish processing sector. Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Loyola O’Driscoll has confirmed important changes to industry policy.
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO NEW PROCESSING LICENCES
New fish processing licence applications will now be received and analyzed directly by the Department, with recommendations going to the Minister under Section 5 of the Fish Inspection Act. The change means the long-standing practice of routing applications through the Fish Processing Licensing Board is ending immediately, removing a key barrier that has limited new entrants and competition in the processing industry.
The updated process will also allow conditional fish processing licences where there is a commitment to buy or construct a processing facility, opening the door for new players and regional investment in rural communities.
CLOSING LOOPHOLES AND LIMITING PROCESSOR CONTROL
In addition, government has clarified that licensed processors will no longer be eligible to hold a Fish Buyers Licence (Outside Buyer Licence) for any species except sea urchin, effective April 1, 2026. Companies applying for an Outside Buyer Licence will also be ineligible if any shareholder or director is also a shareholder or director of a licensed processing company. This change prevents NL companies from using free enterprise policies intended to support competition and access for harvesters, preventing these large processors from extending control over purchasing and keeping more processing work in the province.
MORE WORK AND STABILITY FOR PLANT WORKERS
“We know that news around increasing capacity is concerning for plant workers, but this news will truly provide better stability for all fisheries workers, including those who make their living in processing plants,” says FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street.
Combined with the province’s earlier commitment to stop processing companies from shipping crab out of the province, the Union says there is plenty of work ahead for all processing workers.
“In 2005, quota levels were under 50,000t but the number of plant workers exceeded 13,000. Now in 2025 we had a nearly 63,000t quota but the number of plant workers has been cut in more than half. That corporate concentration and the mass closure of plants around the province have hurt our industry and it is high time policy was changed to start to fix the problem,” Street says.
TAKING ON CORPORATE CONCENTRATION IN THE FISHERY
The move responds directly to years of calls from fish harvesters to break the concentration of power among existing processors and support a truly competitive marketplace.
“Our Union has been clear for a long time: the owner-operator fishery cannot survive if a handful of companies control when we fish, where we sell, and what we’re paid,” says Street. “By moving to open up processing licences and clear away roadblocks, Premier Tony Wakeham and Minister Loyola O’Driscoll are showing they are prepared to act in the public interest and stand up to the stranglehold ASP holds over our coastal communities.”
“Premier Wakeham and Minister O’Driscoll promised harvesters they would move quickly to create more competition in processing, and these changes show they have followed through. We appreciate their leadership and look forward to continuing to work together to protect the owner-operator fishery, support our plant workers, and build a fishery that works for the people and communities of Newfoundland and Labrador—not just for a handful of corporations,” Street concludes.