Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW-Unifor) represents over 12,000 working women and men throughout Newfoundland and Labrador

FFAW and ASP reach agreement to start snow crab fishery

CANADA
Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

Fishermen will hit the water at $3 a pound to start the season

After a little more than a week's delay, the snow crab season will begin.

In a statement released by Fish, Food & Allied Workers Sunday evening, it was announced that the union has reached a deal with the Association of Seafood Producers for the 2024 snow crab fishery.

“This is an historic pricing agreement for harvesters in our province; restoring fairness in the crab fishery and giving harvesters a sharing arrangement they have not seen in a long time. We’re very pleased about the progress made here today and thank Premier Furey for ensuring the fishery gets off the ground as quickly as possible for the benefit of all those involved,” says FFAW-Unifor President Greg Pretty. “I also want to extend my sincere thanks to all members of our Bargaining Committee, who stood strong throughout this process and ensured that harvesters in our province would not be shortchanged their fair share,” he says.

Terms of the agreement are:

• – The minimum price for the 2024 crab fishery is $3.00 per pound.
• – The settlement price will be determined by actual FOB Boston sales of 2024 5-8oz sections from the start of the fishery through three weeks after the fishery ends, based on a statistically significant representative sample of the actual sales of 5-8oz sections, FOB Boston, determined by an independent third party.
• – The settlement price will be 38.5% the value listed above.
• – Both parties will be entitled to a reconsideration; there will be a reconsideration after the market reaches $6.50 USD.
• – The agreement will be signed without prejudice.
• – All other terms and conditions of sale are as per the Panel’s decision.

“Significant gains have been made for fish harvesters in recent weeks, despite the forces still working so hard to roll back the clock. Our Union will continue our work in ensuring harvesters have a buyer for their catch, not just for snow crab, but for all commercially fished species,” Pretty concludes.

The FFAW statement also says that plans for a protest at Confederation Building on Monday are canceled.

Crab fisherman were tied up since the start of the season after the province's price-setting panel chose a price formula put forward by the ASP, which had set a floor price of $2.60 per pound. The FFAW said its members could not fish under that price formula.

Source: FFAW-Unifor

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