Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has announced the total allowable catch (TAC) for the 2026 snow crab season in Newfoundland and Labrador as the province’s harvester union continues to push back against the price-setting process.
Canada Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson announced the 2026 TAC for snow crab in Newfoundland and Labrador will be 61,004 metric tons (MT), a decrease of 3 percent compared to 2025. Canada’s DFO recently issued a report predicting the biomass of snow crab in the province may be on the downswing, leading many to predict a decrease in TAC.
That TAC is still up compared to the 57,586 MT that was set for 2024 – which itself was also an increase over 2023.
“In making this year’s snow crab decision, we carefully weighed the best available science, input from stakeholders and partners, as well as the economic realities facing the industry,” Thompson said in a release. “The crab fishery supports jobs and local economies across rural Newfoundland and Labrador, and we fully recognize its importance to harvesters, families, and communities.”
The smaller decrease was welcomed by the Fish, Food, and Allied Workers Union (FFAW), which had initially pushed against the “precautionary approach (PA)” model used by the DFO.
“While we remain concerned with cuts in several areas, the final decision is more conservative than what was being proposed through the PA,” FFAW President Dwan Street said in a release. “That reflects the need to ensure decisions are grounded in input from harvesters.”
The union also said Thompson has committed to a review of the PA to reduce the year-to-year instability that harvesters took issue with.
“Minister Thompson has been continually engaged with crab harvesters over the last days, weeks, and months, and that engagement is reflected in the final allocations,” Street said. “We extend our thanks to the minister for a balanced management plan while recognizing there is more work to be done to address the flaws of the current precautionary approach framework.”
The FFAW had halted all snow crab price talks until the TAC was announced by the government, and the union has continued to push back against the price-setting panel process that is mandated by Newfoundland. By law, Newfoundland and Labrador sets a minimum price for snow crab that must be paid to harvesters, and that price is set each year by the price-setting panel.
However, FFAW has heavily criticized that panel for years and was on the verge of launching protests on 30 March.
“We have been meeting with government for months on the problems with snow crab negotiations, the inefficiency of the panel, and why we cannot proceed down that road. We have presented multiple options, based on legal advice, to remove crab from Final Offer Selection,” FFAW said on its Facebook page. “We have yet to see concrete action. Now, it’s time WE take action. The panel cannot remain and certainly cannot proceed.”
FFAW was on the verge of calling for a demonstration at the province’s capital until a last-minute call by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham indicating the panel hearing had been delayed.
“There will be no protest tomorrow. We are proceeding with next steps,” the union said. “We will continue to update membership as we go forward.”
The opposition to the panel comes as the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), which represents processors in the province, wrote an open letter to Wakeham calling the situation in the province concerning. The ASP said the FFAW was awarded an outside buyer’s license which would allow the union to ship crab outside of the province.
FFAW pushed back on that claim and against any assertions that harvesters are refusing to fish.
“Harvesters are prepared to fish but are seeking a fair and reasonable price through improvements to a process that has increasingly failed to deliver fair and balanced outcomes,” Street said in a release. “The ongoing delay in the fishery is the result of unresolved pricing issues and the need for clarity on 2026 quotas and export markets.”
