Fisheries minister commits to lifting processing caps, looking for outside buyers ahead of 2024 crab season

Newfoundland and Labrador Fisheries Minister Elvis Loveless says he's willing to meet some of the demands tabled by fish harvesters and their union amid continued protests.

In a letter written to the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union Tuesday and on the eve of announcing the provincial budget for 2024 Loveless told union president Greg Pretty the province is committed to raising processing capacity "in the primary processing sector" prior to the start of the 2024 fishery.

However, the extent of the increase will be informed, in part, by the total allowable catch that is yet to be announced by the federal fisheries minister.

Further, Loveless said his department will issue an expression of interest for outside buyers for the 2024 snow crab fishery on Tuesday.

"The expression of interest will include a fish buyer's licence application so that timely issuance of licences can proceed should there be interest," Loveless wrote.

Both of those pieces were at the top of the priority list for the FFAW and protesting harvesters in recent weeksas they stood on the stairs of Confederation Building and flooded the public galleries in the House of Assembly to get their point across to Loveless andthe provincial government.

Butharvesters insist their protests aren't just about crab. They want the ability to sell any catch of any species outside the province.

On Friday, Loveless wrote anotherletter to Pretty outlining the province's willingness to explore outside buyer options, but he wanted to see a plan in place first to ensure other areas of the industry specifically fish plant workers wouldn't feel the impact of the move.

On Tuesday, Premier Andrew Fureysaid the FFAW and the Association of Seafood Processors are still negotiating a crab price-setting formula for the 2024 season and he hopes a decision is made that benefits both sides.

As for increasing processing capacity, the commitment stands, but government won't make a decisionuntil it knows the total allowable catch, Furey said.

Who will buy?

But the logistics of selling snow crab out of province remainto be seen.

In Nova Scotia, mostsnow crab processing operations are already up and running, and a predicted amount of catch is already in place for the companies who have hired their staff.

Kris Vascotto, executivedirector of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, which represents the province's seafood processing companies and buyers, told CBC News adding another possible 40,000 tonnes of snow crab to those processing lines will have its challenges.

Employee premiums, pricing differences, transportation, collection and live crab waiting to cross to Nova Scotia via a ferry system that is prone to weather delays are all factors that need to be considered, he said.

"All of these pieces really have to be worked into the equation before somebody would decide, 'OK, it makes sense for me to go to Newfoundland and to actually purchase snow crab,'" saidVascotto.

"This is not to say we haven't had in the past vessels comefrom Newfoundland to Nova Scotia and land and provide product in that stance. But it's a different sort ofsituation there because the product is live upon landing."

Fureysaid selling crab to outside buyers in the past "hasn't worked, necessarily."

"But we've heard from the union that represents both plant workers and harvesters that this is their request, so we're happy to see what interest there is and move forward," he said.

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