Mr. Pretty said the low set price – combined with the rising costs of fuel, bait and other supplies – would doom harvesters to fishing at a loss.
“The choice was made to go bankrupt at the wharf unless some movement can be made,” Mr. Pretty said. Along with losing income by not fishing, many harvesters risk missing debt payments on their boats and other equipment.Tensions between the FFAW and the trade association representing the fish producers continued rising as the crisis approached the four-week mark last week. In Newfoundland, producers and harvesters can appeal to the price-setting board if each side doesn’t feel the price is fair.
“It’s not ideal, but it’s the same for harvesters. It’s not going to be the best year ever,” he said. “If we continue to fight over what at this point I think are less important things, we’re going to lose sight of the big picture.” With the FFAW and Newfoundland government already at odds, provincial Fisheries Minister Derrick Bragg sent a letter to the FFAW to hold a secret ballot vote, in order to gauge how many harvesters are willing to fish at the current price. Mr. Pretty has rejected the suggestion, saying it undermines the union leadership.he views this crisis as “on par” with the collapse of the province’s cod fishery in 1992 – among the largest economic devastations in Canadian history.
Mr. Bragg echoed that concern in a media scrum last Thursday. “Since the [cod] moratorium in 1992, this is the most issues we’ve had in our fishery.”