The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has released a management plan for the 2022 snow crab fishery, with the season opening on Monday, 4 April with an overall increase in total allowable catch (TAC) of 32 precent.
The announcement by the DFO comes as the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador is still debating what price will be paid for crab at the start of the season. The Fish Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) initially planned on ending negotiations and deciding on a price on 24 March, but even after arbitration on 31 March, as of 1 April a price still hasn’t been announced.
On the quota side, fishing area 2H will keep the same quota while area 2J will receive a decrease, and every other area will see an increase. Area 3K will see a 32 percent increase to 9,840 metric tons (MT), area 3LNO will see a 23 percent increase to 30,940 MT, area 3Ps will see a 54 percent increase to 7,768 MT, area 4R3Pn will see a 49 percent increase to 522 MT, and the Collaborative Post-Season Trap Survey quota will increase by 50 MT to 450 MT.
All told, the fishery will have a TAC of 50,470 MT this year, or roughly 25 million more pounds of snow crab.
The increases in quota have been welcomed by the FFAW, who called the increases “welcome news to coastal communities.”
“Fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are proud stewards of our renewable resource and have played a critical role in today’s news. Over the years, they’ve taken cuts when needed and have made important contributions to the science assessment process,” FFAW-Unifor President Keith Sullivan said. “Our members are looking forward to a successful season pending the resolution at the price-setting panel.”
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