FFAW applauds new deal on crab pricing, but says system still needs fixing

CBC

April 14, 2024 at 6:22 p.m.·3 min read

The province's snow crab season looks like it will finally begin after the bargaining groups for fish harvesters and seafood producers agreed to a formula on pricing. (Submitted by FFAW - image credit)

The head of the Newfoundland and Labrador's fisheries union says a deal struck on Sunday evening brings stability for crab harvesters this season, but believes the process has to be overhauled to prevent more disruption in the future.

Fish, Food & Allied Workers president Greg Pretty says it's time to end the final offer selection process, in which harvesters and producers each put forward a proposal, and an independent panel has to select one or the other without compromise.

Harvesters refused to fish for more than a week, until the FFAW and Association of Seafood Producers reached a deal on Sunday that included increases to minimum prices and a settlement at the end of the season. That deal will override the panel's decision.

The situation was even worse in 2023, with harvesters remaining tied up for six weeks.

"The problem with it so far, of course, is that for the last two years the panel chose a price that couldn't in fact get the fishery going," Pretty told The St. John's Morning Show on Monday. "So that's not much use if that trend, or that model continues."

The deal struck on Sunday includes a floor price of $3 per pound for the entire 2024 season. Both sides will be able to file for a reconsideration if the market price goes above $6.50 USD.

It also comes with the promise of an independent review of actual crab sales after the end of the season, which could prompt settlement payments to harvesters if the market has gone up. Both sides settled on a 38.5 per cent market share for harvesters if settlements are warranted.

"That's important because it evens the playing field here," Pretty said of the deal. "You don't have to rush out, for example, this week. There's a $3 minimum there and even if you fish later in the year you'll capture the benefits of the market. That's why it's different. That's why it's historic."

The deal is good for one season only, but the fisheries union hopes it sets a path moving forward.

The $3 floor price is a 15 per cent raise over the $2.60 chosen by the panel earlier this month. It's also a vast improvement on the $2.20 price harvesters fished for at the start of last season.

Pretty said both sides were close to a deal throughout last week, but didn't get anything across the finish line until Sunday evening. He said the provincial labour department was involved with a mediator, and the premier's office "had a lens" later in the negotiations.

If a deal hadn't been struck, the FFAW was preparing for more protests outside Confederation Building in St. John's. Harvesters were expected to be there on Monday morning, but stood down after Sunday's deal.

Pretty hopes to see changes to the process to avoid another mess next year. In the meantime, he said harvesters will have crab pots in the water in the coming days.

"As of today, there's a fair amount of stability that wasn't there yesterday," Pretty said.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.

The Conversation
How roads are reshaping and scarring our planet, and even changing animals’ DNA
‘Road ecology’ is the focus of Crossings, a powerful new book by environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb.
CBC
Man punches grizzly in face during bear attack in northern B.C.
A B.C. cyclist is recovering after a run-in with a grizzly and two cubs that ended with the bear getting punched in the face. According to conservation officer Matthew Corbett, a man was riding his bike along a forested trail next to Anderson Flats Provincial Park in northwest B.C. when he surprised a female grizzly and her two cubs in a clearing. "The bear just immediately charged him, knocked him down," Corbett said. But the man put his bike between himself and the bear, which prevented him fr
Futurism
Terrifying NASA Video Shows America Spewing CO2 Into Atmosphere
Trapped Gases NASA has released a new visualization that shows copious amounts of carbon dioxide swirling around the Earth's atmosphere. The video shows how concentrations of the gas move across the planet, driven by wind and atmospheric circulation, from January through March 2020. The level of detail is truly astonishing, allowing us to "zoom in […]
BBC
Ancient three-eyed reptiles get new home at Chester Zoo
Tuataras are one of the world’s oldest surviving species and lived on Earth before the dinosaurs.
Canadian Press Videos
Wood pellets boom in the U.S. raises health and environmental concerns
Wood pellet production skyrocketed across the U.S. South to feed the European Union’s recent push for renewable energy but residents near manufacturing plants -- often those in poor, rural swaths -- believe the process is making people sick. (AP video by Stephen Smith)
BBC
How decline of Indian vultures led to 500,000 human deaths
A new study links the vulture decline in India to deadly bacteria spread, causing about 500,000 deaths.
The Canadian Press
Wood pellets production boomed to feed EU demand. It's come at a cost for Black people in the South
GLOSTER, Miss. (AP) — This southern Mississippi town's expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins' home that she sometimes heard company loudspeakers. She says industrial residues coated her truck and she no longer enjoys spending time in the air outdoors.
Business Insider
Scientists found a groundbreaking new reason to plant more trees
Microbes living in tree bark are absorbing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere on a massive scale, a study found.
The Weather Network - Video
Cities deploy goats to tackle invasive plant species
Multiple municipalities, including Toronto and Mississauga, are increasingly turning to goats as a natural solution to manage and control invasive species.
CBC
How blue-green algae blooms are threatening the Great Lakes
Freshwater blue-green algae blooms are a global phenomenon that can affect humans, pets, the environment and the economy. And as weather patterns shift, the blooms — which prefer warm, nutrient-rich water — are appearing in areas where they wouldn't commonly occur, according to one researcher.Though blooms typically show up in shallow bodies of water with temperatures above 20 C in areas of higher agricultural activity, blooms in colder and more nutrient-poor lakes have been observed more freque
WEWS-Cleveland Videos
Scooter piles dwindling outside Summit e-Waste as summer ramps up sales
The thousands of defunct Spin scooters were purchased for $100 by Ben Baker, the owner of Summit e-Waste, an electronic recycling company in Akron.
Bloomberg
Great Rotation Trade Sees Investors Dump AI Giants for Less Obvious Stocks
(Bloomberg) -- Signs that equity investors are getting cold feet over the rapid advances in artificial intelligence leaders have put a spotlight on some less obvious beneficiaries of the technology boom.Most Read from BloombergTrump Risks Losing Voters He Needs With Loaded Attacks on HarrisParis Sticks to Olympics Opening Event Plans After Rail SabotageFed’s Favored Price Gauge Rises at Mild Pace, Spending Holds UpHarris Just Showed Why Trump Is So Afraid of HerUS Accuses Famed Short-Seller Andr
Belleville News-Democrat
‘Lucky one to get close’: Marion police officer describes encounter with black bear
“Once it saw me, it knew it wasn’t going to go in my direction,” officer says.
United Press International
Look: Endangered tree kangaroo peers out of mother’s pouch at Zoo Miami
A young Matschie's tree kangaroo, an endangered species native to Papua New Guinea's Huon Peninsula, has started peering out of its mother's pouch at Zoo Miami.
POWER Magazine
Landrieu: Natural Gas Is ‘Not the Enemy, It Is Part of the Solution’ to Achieving Climate Goals
Former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who is now a senior policy advisor for the law firm Van Ness Feldman and co-chair of the Natural Allies Leadership Council, is keen […]
Associated Press
Wandering wolf of the Southwest confined through 2025 breeding season in hopes of producing pups
An exceptionally restless female Mexican gray wolf nicknamed Asha will be held in captivity with a potential mate through another breeding season in hopes of aiding the recovery of the species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday. Asha captivated the public imagination after she was found wandering far beyond the boundaries established along the Arizona-New Mexico border for managing the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Aislinn Maestas said the wolf, known to wildlife biologists as F2754, has shown signs of bonding and breeding activity with a captive-born male, though so far without producing pups.
The Hill
Despite breakthrough, Manchin and Barrasso’s permitting reform effort faces hurdles
Although Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) finally reached an agreement on energy permitting reform this week, their effort still faces an uphill climb. They’ll need to convince leadership and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to support their deal — and to give them floor space at the end…
CBC
The end is near for three of Yukon's rural waste transfer stations
The Yukon government is moving forward with its target to modernize the territory's solid waste disposal system, but some residents still aren't happy. It's investing in regional solid-waste facilities across the territory in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make rural communities more economically and environmentally sustainable.Part of this plan also includes closing waste transfer stations in Keno City, Braeburn, Johnson's Crossing, and Silver City, something area residents ha
People
Polar Bear Dies at Calgary Zoo After ‘Rough Play’ with Another Bear: ‘His Presence Brought Immense Joy’
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo said that a necropsy report found that the bear drowned after sustaining a “crushing injury” to his trachea
Associated Press
Black bear and cub destroy car in Connecticut after getting trapped inside
Trapped inside a car, the adult black bear and cub thrashed about. Outside the car, a second cub ran around in apparent distress by the Connecticut home. State environmental conservation police were called by the startled vehicle owner on the morning of July 15.

Latest Stories