Fish harvesters should not be treated like criminals for selling fish locally

Commercial fish harvesters in the province have been receiving warnings from officers with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to stop selling fish locally in their communities or they could be charged, a drastic action that must be changed, says Opposition Fisheries and Aquaculture critic Marshall Dean. The issue was raised earlier today in the House of Assembly.

Fish harvesters have often sold their fish locally from the back of their truck, door to door, or at the head of the wharf to people wanting a feed of salted or fresh cod. Over the past few months, government has started to enforce regulations that have been in place banning this practice. These regulations have been on the books for years, but have never been strictly enforced by government.

“The local sale of fish has been a practice of many fish harvesters for years,” said Mr. Dean. “Recently, government decided to begin enforcing regulations and treating fishers as criminals. These types of sales are common and are expected by many community residents who often look for salt cod or fresh fish. It is unfortunate that government has decided to crack down on this tradition and way of life for many people.

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