Congratulations to the new minister of fisheries, Derrick Dalley, member for the historic fishing area Twillingate, Fogo, Moreton’s Harbour, all around the circle.
As a longtime advocate for coastal communities in general and inshore fishers in particular, I have some advice for the new minister, which, were he to follow, he’d go down in history as the saviour of outport Newfoundland and small boat fishers.
My advice? Listen closely to the lobbying of the association of seafood producers and corporations, from individuals inside and outside of government circles, and then proceed to implement the exact opposite of their requests.
David Boyd
Twillingate





Thank you for your response. You said it perfectly with "Newfoundland and Labrador's natural resources belong to Newfoundland and Labrador and its people". As I have said before, I am a citizen and taxpayer. SO, the resources are as much mine as they are yours. I am not saying that we should do what is best for me because I am special. Rather, I am saying that we should do what is best for newfoundland as a whole. As a citizen, I argue that it is better to allow the fish to be exported unprocessed if we can charge a royalty on the exports. I am saying that royalties for ALL of us is better than jobs in the fishery. I am saying that royalties that can be used on health care is better than preserving fishery jobs. I am also saying that I am best served with the fish being processed in China, because China is my largest customer. I am also saying that if giving the fish to China allows CANADIANS to get cheaper goods, then I am all for that too. Overall, I am saying that a local fishery ONLY benefits the local fishery workers, whereas using the fishery to promote international trade and generate royalty revenue for services that WE ALL us. Make no mistake, I want newfoundland to benefit, but in a way that benefits everyone, not just the fishermen. I think royalties benefit everyone, and I think international trade gives us ALL cheaper goods. The fishery, well most of us get nothing from it. That has to change. This is not about the rich getting richer, it is about finding away to give the benefits of the fish to everyone, even if a small number of people (the fishery workers) suffer. The times when only the fishery workers get a benefit from the fishery must end. The rest of us deserve some benefit from the resource too, or am I wrong about that?