The Fish, Food, and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) has returned to negotiations on the minimum snow crab price for the upcoming fishing season in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, after the first day of talks was delayed.
FFAW first halted snow crab price talks on 24 March as it pushed for a delay until Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced the total allowable catch (TAC) for 2026. After the DFO set the TAC, FFAW again delayed talks over objections to the process and was even planning a protest.
“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,” 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.”
Now, shortly after FFAW received a letter from Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham, a Facebook post by FFAW Vice President Jason Sullivan indicates the union is back to negotiating with the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), which represents the processing companies in the province.
“Our committee is meeting currently, and we will be engaging with ASP in the morning,” a message sent by FFAW President Dwan Street to Wakeham, posted to Sullivan’s page, states. “We have also been speaking to the ASP today about the importance of meaningful negotiation. We anticipate a productive process.”
The FFAW and the ASP have gone back and forth in recent months over a dispute related to the rebate price decision for the 2025 fishing year. Per the price agreement for the 2025 year, fishermen were supposed to get a final rebate amount that was designed to normalize the price over the year, but fishermen claimed the rebate amount of CAD 0.28 (USD 0.20, EUR 0.17) per pound of snow crab was the result of market manipulation by the ASP.
“ASP companies are manipulating the market and skewing the true end-of-season price,” Street said at the time.
ASP has consistently pushed back against the FFAW’s claims, calling market manipulation in this instance a “myth.”
“One of the biggest issues affecting NL snow crab market pricing is not being able to start the fishery in a timely manner,” ASP wrote. “This has a material, negative, long-term effect on pricing. Late compressed supply from NL is a significant negative market factor as the industry is not viewed as a dependable supplier.”
