The FFAW believes this is going to be a “very different year” for fish price negotiations after years of disputes over the prices fetched by crab harvesters in this province compared to other regions.

Union president Dwan Street is part of an NL delegation at the Boston Seafood Show this week.

She believes that the prices local harvesters get should be in line with that in the Maritimes.

She says the union wants to move away from practices and approaches that it says are not benefitting harvesters.

“We’re not interested in sitting with ASP (the Association of Seafood Processors) and we’re not interested in going with the Price Setting Panel anymore, and we need to get back to traditional collective bargaining and hammer out a price that’s going to be fair for everybody.”

Street says the union put those proposals to Fisheries Minister Loyola O’Driscoll and Labour Minister Mike Goosney last week and are hoping for positive feedback.