Gulf Turbot fishery not accommodating our fishermen: Opposition 

Marshall Dean, MHA for the District of the Straits-White Bay North and Opposition Critic for Fisheries, says the Gulf turbot fishery in 4RSP is not serving area fishermen well and he is calling upon the province to advocate to the federal government for a more responsive fishery. 

Dean questioned the minister today in the House of Assembly on allegations put forth by fishermen of the Northern Peninsula that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is investigating some 25 fishing enterprises for violation of regulations requiring nets to be removed from the water at the close of the fishery.   The turbot fishery in 4RSP opened on Thursday and closed 48 hours later. 

“The regulations surrounding this fishery and their enforcement do not take into consideration a number of factors these fishermen have to face and this needs to be challenged,” says Dean. “Fishermen are telling us that inclement weather and insufficient off-loading sites delayed their return to the water to remove the nets at the regulated time.  The fishermen under investigation have had to forfeit their catch to DFO and are facing a loss of income while the process works itself out.

“Clearly, there has to be a greater deal of flexibility here to reflect the special circumstances of our region.  There are some 100 boats steaming upwards of five hours and hauling 200 nets and there is only a 48-hour window of opportunity to fish, off-load and head back out to remove nets, which hardly makes sense.”

Dean also points out the inequity of the Gulf Turbot quota-sharing arrangements, whereby Newfoundland and Labrador boats are allocated 18 per cent of the quota, while vessels from Quebec can fish the remaining 82 per cent. “This unfair arrangement and the extra weeks allocated to Quebec boats to harvest this catch needs to be revisited with a view to making it more equitable for our fishermen. 

 “I am calling upon our provincial minister to raise theses important fishery issues with the federal minister of fisheries when he meets with her this weekend. The message from our fishermen is that they expect the Gulf Turbot fishery to be more accommodating and fairer and the minister has a responsibility to help bring about these changes.”

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