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VIRGIN ROCKS MPA IS NON-NEGOTIABLE

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VIRGIN ROCKS MPA IS NON-NEGOTIABLE
August 6, 2025

FFAW-Unifor is calling on Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson to immediately remove Virgin Rocks from consideration as a candidate Marine Protected Area (MPA) under Canada’s 2030 conservation targets.

The federal government is considering multiple candidate areas including one near Virgin Rocks in 3L.

Virgin Rocks has been one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most productive fishing grounds for generations, supporting vital cod, flounder, crab, whelk, and the developing sea cucumber fisheries. Closing this area would devastate our coastal communities and destroy critical access for harvesters.

While FFAW supports marine conservation, there are other proposed sites that can achieve conservation goals without crippling the fishing industry.

We’ve formally called on Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson to remove Virgin Rocks from consideration and to work with harvesters—not against them—to protect both our oceans and the livelihoods that depend on them.

See the full letter here:

Correspondence from FFAW President Dwan Street August 5, 2025Download

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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.