FFAW president Earle McCurdy says focus needs to be placed on the fair sharing of the northern shrimp resource in the wake of DFO science recommendations pointing to a significant reduction in the stocks.
McCurdy, along with the chairs of three of the provinces inshore shrimp fleets, attended a special meeting of the Northern Shrimp Advisory Committee in Ottawa last week to discuss the implications of the latest science advice.
The northern shrimp resource is broken down into a number of management areas, one of which (Shrimp fishing Area 7, which corresponds to NAFO fishing division 3L) is managed by NAFO. The Total Allowable catch for Area 7 has been reduced by half from the 2013 TAC.
While offshore license holders have access to all management areas, the inshore fleet has access to two – Areas 6 and 7.
Area 6 corresponds to NAFO division 2J and 3K, Northern Newfoundland Labrador, which is managed by DFO.
McCurdy said the meeting in Ottawa surrounding the proposed cuts for Areas 5 and 6.
McCurdy said the inshore share of the overall northern shrimp resource was in the 40 to 41 per cent range annually from 2000 to 2010.
But has dropped to 33 per cent in 2013.
Now, depending on this year’s TAC, McCurdy said this number could drop to 27 to 31 per cent.
“DFO’s decision on managing quota reductions have not been fair to the people who are immediately adjacent to the resource,” he said.
He described a “total absence of transparency” in the development of the Northern Shrimp Integrated Fisheries Management Plan.
For example, the 2003 version of the plan described as one of its long-term objects “to provide fair and equitable sharing of the northern shrimp resource, with particular emphasis on the needs of people and community most adjacent to the resource, without any permanent increase in harvesting capacity.”
The 2007 version deleted the reference to “particular emphasis on the needs of people and communities most adjacent to the resource.”
“This change was never agreed to by our union, it was never agreed to by the provincial government, it was never debated at a meeting of the Northern Shrimp Advisory Committee,” he said.
McCurdy noted that, had particular emphasis has been shown, the inshore wouldn’t have dropped from its 40-41 per cent level.
About 300 inshore fishing enterprises throughout the province participate in the northern shrimp fishery, providing raw material to 10 processing plants.
“These jobs are jeopardized, both on sea and on land,” said McCurdy.
He said the options being considered, for last week’s meeting, could result in a loss of production equivalent of three shrimp plants.
“We understand the resource is not at the peak level of a few years ago, and quotas could not be maintained at the previous levels, but the pain should be shared fairly.”
McCurdy assures that these issues will be front and center when he meets with Fisheries and Oceans minister Gail Shea this week.
