Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Greg Deighan expressed his frustration today at how Island fishers were treated in the snow crab management plan announced by Federal Minister Robert Thibault Friday.
"Just one year ago, an Independent Panel on Access Criteria, appointed by the federal department, released a report stating that equity is one of three overarching principles on which all access decisions should be based. Yet there is no evidence that the principle of equity was even considered in this snow crab plan. It is a slap in the face to Prince Edward Island fishers," said Minister Deighan.
The federal minister went far beyond what science and permanent licence holders had recommended, reducing the total allowable catch from 22,000 metric tonnes to 17,148 metric tonnes. That is a significant reduction, despite an increase of 15 per cent in the commercial biomass.
Minister Deighan said the reduction in quota will significantly impact the 28 permanent snow crab licence holders in PEI. They receive just over five per cent of the traditional total allowable catch. Under the new management plan, that amounts to 623 metric tonnes - 35 per cent less than the 2002 allocation.
Other PEI fishers have shared in temporary snow crab allocations for the past number of years. While the new management plan converts this to permanent sharing, Minister Deighan said the way the quota has been divided is totally unacceptable.
"Under the new permanent sharing arrangement, we are ending up with half of the quota we had under the temporary sharing formula, and a far cry from our fair share of the resource," the minister added. "Island fishers participated in the development of the snow crab fishery back in the 1960s. They are positioned right on the edge of the crab grounds. And, at almost 30 per cent, Prince Edward Island has the largest number of Gulf core fishermen - the very group this sharing was intended to benefit. Despite all this, we received the smallest allocation."
Last year, PEI's share of the temporary allocation was 13.3 per cent in comparison to 47.5 per cent for New Brunswick and 25.8 per cent for Quebec. That amounted to 291 metric tonnes. This year, PEI's share is just over five per cent which translates to 110 metric tonnes.
In consultations on the snow crab management plan, Prince Edward Island recommended a sharing formula based on the number of Gulf core fishers in the Maritimes and Quebec. This would have resulted in a more equitable arrangement for all fishers and provinces involved. PEI has 29.76% of Gulf core fishers (1,318); New Brunswick has 29.56% (1,309); Quebec has 25.83% (1,144); and Nova Scotia has 14.86% (658).
Minister Deighan noted that the Province was hopeful that a new permanent sharing arrangement would assist the groundfish-dependent fishers who are reeling from the closure of the cod fishery. This plan does little to provide an alternative for these PEI fishers, he said.
Minister Deighan said he is taking steps to express to the federal minister his frustration over the snow crab management plan.
"With decisions such as this, I question whether the federal minister and his staff have any understanding of the value and importance of the fishery to the Prince Edward Island economy. We have the largest number of core fishers in the Gulf and a fishery that contributes well over $325 million dollars to the economy each year.
"I assure Island fishers that the Province will continue to strongly pressure the federal government for a fair and equitable formula for allocation of the snow crab quota."