FFAW-Unifor asks for review of crab prices for Newfoundland and Labrador fishers

ST. JOHN'S — The Fish Food and Allied Workers (FFAW), the union representing fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador, has asked the province’s Standing Fish Price Setting Panel to reconsider the price set for snow crab for the 2020 season.

Earlier this month, the panel set the price at $2.90 per pound, after considering submissions from the FFAW and the Association of Seafood Processors (ASP) and assessing market reports.

The panel also left the door open for either the FFAW or the ASP to ask for a price review if new market information became available during the season.

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For the past three years crab fishers in this province have been getting exceptional prices for their catches, ranging from $4.50 to over $5 per pound, thanks to high consumer demand.

This year, however, the market for crab is in a slump thanks to COVID-19 prompting the shut down of restaurants, casinos and the cruise ship industry in the United States, which is the major market for Newfoundland and Labrador crab.

Although $2.90 per pound is the fifth-highest price ever paid for N.L. crab, fishers around the province were upset over the decision on prices.

This past weekend, over 100 fishers staged a protest at the FFAW office in St. John’s, challenging the union on its decision to accept that price.

While some crab fishermen — particularly those who have larger boats and more quota to catch — have headed to sea to start fishing, many of the fishermen who hold inshore licenses and smaller quotas say they can’t afford to fish for $2.90 a pound.

In a press release late yesterday, the FFAW said since the May 1 decision by the price-setting panel, “important new market and sales information has emerged that shows the current market to be significantly different than that which was envisioned when the Panel selected ASP’s price of $2.90.

“The FFAW’s reconsideration request is based on the actual market, which is currently higher than that anticipated by the Panel,” the union stated.

The union is preparing its presentation for the panel.

According to the FFAW’s post on its Facebook page this morning, the panel will meet tomorrow, May 13,  to review the union’s proposal for a price review.