Capelin Prices 2014
Panel picks Union price offer on capelin
The province’s Fish Price-Setting Panel has picked the FFAW position on capelin for the 2014 fishing season.
This means that a lot more of the capelin landings will be covered by the minimum prices provided in the collective agreement.
The Union spent the past two summers collecting information on the high percentage of capelin landings that fell outside the specs in the Capelin Schedule in recent years. The main reason for this was the minimum length of 5.25 inches.
The Union used the documentation collected over the past two years to convince the Panel to pick the Union price offer.
ASP’s position to the Panel was to increase the minimum price from 10 cents to 11.5 cents a pound, but with the same specs as last year. Based on more than 200 trips that Union graders sampled in 2013, this would have meant about 85% of the trips falling outside the coverage of the collective agreement.
The Union proposed a two price system. The “A” price is 15 cents a pound, based on identical specs as last year. This includes maximum 55 count and 10% feed content, and minimum 40% usable females, with broken, damaged, over-matured females and females < 5.25” classed as males.
The “B” price in the Union proposal is 10 cents, based on the same specs as the “A” price except that the <5.25” females would be reclassified as females in calculating the percentage of usable females.
These prices are now binding on all capelin buyers.
Detailed sampling procedures, with examples, are now being worked out with ASP, and we will be posting them on our website as soon as they are finalized.
There was also agreement during negotiations to adjust trip limits (up or down) depending on the supply of capelin to avoid over-supplying the capelin and undermining our quality. The details of this are also being worked out, and will be posted when finalized.