The province’s fisheries union says regulations can’t pit one important industry against another.

FFAW President Keith Sullivan was referring to a recent call for bids in the province’s offshore oil field.

Sullivan says the parcels on the Grand Banks were located in what he calls the best crab fishing grounds in the world.

Other countries are investing in renewable, sustainable industries according to Sullivan, and in this province, the fishery is a lower priority.

If you’re going to accept bids on that particular part of the offshore, then the oil industry is taking priority over the fishery says Sullivan.