Panel hearing on crab price proposals pushed back
Offers from harvesters and processors will be heard Friday, with panel decision expected by April 4
The hearing on snow crab price proposals from the province’s fish harvesters and processors has been pushed back by one day.
Originally, both Ffawunifor — the union that represents harvesters and fish plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador — and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) — the organization that represents processing companies — were supposed to submit their respective proposals on snow crab prices to the province’s Standing Fish Price-setting Panel by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27.
The panel was then going to hold a hearing with both sides on Thursday, March 28, and decide which proposal should be accepted by April 4, two days prior to the scheduled opening of the snow crab fishery in most areas of Newfoundland and Labrador.
However, the hearing has now been rescheduled for Friday, March 29, says the Department of Environment and Climate Change, the provincial department that has jurisdiction over the pricesetting panel.
The FFAW and the ASP now have until 4 p.m. today to submit their proposals.
'AGAINST DELAYING PROCEEDINGS'
An FFAW spokesperson told Saltwire the extension was requested by the ASP, even though the union is “adamantly against delaying proceedings.”
Saltwire asked the ASP why it had requested the extension, but there was no reply as of deadline.
The two sides had been negotiating throughout the winter months in an attempt to agree on a pricing formula for snow crab, but could not come to an agreement as the start of the early spring fishery drew closer.
Because of the stalemate, they have reverted to allowing the price-setting panel to decide the price of crab to start the season. The panel uses what is known as the final-offer selection process, through which it hears the offers from both sides and selects one or the other.
The final-offer selection process in 2023 favoured the ASP, which asked for a price of $2.20 per pound.
Not happy with that price, harvesters refused to go fishing when the season opened on April 10, 2023. The tie-up lasted for six weeks before harvesters eventually conceded to the $2.20 price and started putting their crab pots in the water.
The panel is still expected to make its decision on the 2024 price by April 4.