Maritime fisheries ministers hope for consensus on plan to promote lobster industry
Posted Mar 27, 2014 07:11:55 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – Fisheries ministers from the three Maritime provinces say they’re hoping for an industry consensus today on a plan to promote lobsters.
The promotion plan involves imposing a fee on fishermen, buyers and processors.
The ministers started meeting yesterday in Halifax with harvesting and processing groups in a bid to boost the struggling lobster industry.
They are discussing a proposal to improve branding, which will require a levy of one cent per pound to be paid by fishermen, and another cent per pound to be paid by the onshore side of the industry.
Fisheries Minister Michael Olscamp of New Brunswick says industry agreement with the levy would create funding for marketing lobsters.
The levy was an idea to raise 2.5 million dollars recommended last year by a three-member panel that reviewed the industry.
Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell says his government could simply impose the levy, but he would rather do so with the industry behind it.
P-E-I’s minister of fisheries, Ron MacKinley, says there is broad industry support for the move on the Island.
Fishing groups attending the meeting spoke in favour of the measure yesterday.
