News Release: Fish Harvesters Across Province Revoke Signatures on FISH-NL Cards
November 28, 2016
11/28/2016
For Immediate Release
Monday, November 28, 2016
Fish Harvesters Across Province Revoke Signatures on FISH-NL Cards
St. John’s – After weeks of hearing the misinformation presented by Ryan Cleary’s group, FISH-NL, fish harvesters in every corner of the province, who had previously signed cards being distributed by FISH-NL, are contacting FFAW-Unifor to revoke their signature on the cards.
“It’s become very clear that harvesters are not buying the hollow agenda of anger and division with no plan that FISH-NL is trying to sell,” said Keith Sullivan, President of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor).
The surge in revoking signatures on FISH-NL cards comes at the same time as Cleary questioned whether there should be an inshore northern cod fishery at all this year. His comments (both on VOCM Open Line and in a news release) suggest that the cod biomass is not strong enough to warrant a fishery.
Rather than providing an explanation to fish harvesters as to why he would side with the corporate offshore who have also resisted the inshore northern cod fishery, Cleary doubled down at a FISH-NL meeting in Bonavista on Friday night, stating that he feels the biomass numbers presented by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans “do not justify” an inshore fishery.
“FFAW has the strength and experience and a plan for the future of the fishery in 2017 and beyond,” continued Sullivan. “Mr. Cleary has no plan, no experience and no resources to ensure fish harvesters have the representation they need to prosecute a fishery in the coming months.”
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