First there was FISH-NL; now the Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, or SEA-NL, is offering itself as a “distinct voice” of the province’s licensed commercial inshore fish harvesters.

Membership signup officially started yesterday.

Organizer and interim executive director Ryan Cleary says it’s time for independent owner-operators to be recognized as a distinct group with a say on decisions that affect their enterprises.

Cleary says the plan is for SEA-NL to hold a convention in the fall to formally adopt bylaws and organizational structure, and to elect a board of directors.

Cleary says, unlike FISH-NL, SEA-NL will represent the interests of licensed owner-operators only, and won’t need permission from the province’s Labour Relations Board to organize.

The group will not be in a position to negotiate fish prices, although it may be positioned to influence their outcome and other policies and fish management practices.