A meeting to discuss the economic and ecological issues raised in a recent report on the Northumberland Strait fisheries will be held in Charlottetown on July 31. The meeting will bring together federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn, Prince Edward Island Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Jim Bagnall, fishers, processors and other interested groups. Provincial fisheries ministers from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and fisheries representatives who share the fishery in the Northumberland Strait have also been invited to attend.
“The recent report on the problems facing many fishers in the Northumberland Strait made a number of recommendations to government and industry,” said Mr. Bagnall. “This meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to bring all levels of government and industry together to discuss actions and strategies in response to the economic and ecological issues in the Northumberland Strait.”
Mr. Bagnall said Mr. Hearn accepted the Province’s invitation to participate last week at a meeting in Ottawa between the two Ministers and representatives of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association.
Mr. Hearn said he looks forward to the opportunity to meet with his provincial counterparts and industry representatives on the issue. “I recognize the importance of the lobster fishery in the Northumberland Strait and the need for measures to ensure its sustainability,” said Mr. Hearn. “The meeting will help to focus on those issues which are needed to protect the resource and the livelihoods of affected fishers.”
The report on the Northumberland Strait fisheries was conducted by the accounting firm Grant Thornton and released in early June. The report said that reduced lobster landings in recent years in the Northumberland Strait have resulted in financial difficulties for many fishers, especially those new to the industry and those who have made major capital investments over the past several years. The report recommended a reduction in the total number of fishers along with controls to prevent future over-capitalization and harvest effort increases.
“I was very pleased with the openness of Mr. Hearn and Mr. Bagnall to discuss the problems facing the industry in the Northumberland Strait,” said Ron Caissie, president of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association. “We look forward to joining with the Ministers and fishers from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick who share the resource in the Northumberland Strait to discuss options.”
Mr. Bagnall said the meeting will focus on the long-term impacts of the decline in lobster landings in the Northumberland Strait, including the financial problems being experienced by some fishers. “We need to get everyone together around the same table to plan a course of action which will bring greater stability to fishers and the fishery into the future,” he said.