A fish plant owner is questioning the decision made by Fisheries Minister Derrick Bragg to take the unusual step of rejecting recommendations regarding fish processing licences.
The Fish Processing Licencing Board, chaired by Reg Anstey, reviews all applications and delivers a set of recommendations to Minister Derrick Bragg. Anstey has said it’s rare for a recommendation of the board to be rejected. But that’s exactly what happened in this case.
Bay Roberts Seafoods Ltd. had expected its crab license to be renewed but, instead, Minister Bragg approved a new license for St. Mary’s and increased the quota for Dandy Dan’s Fish Market. He also gave St. Mary’s a licence for groundfish.
Bay Roberts owner Jason Russell, on VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly, said the reasons given to him don’t make sense. His rejection letter states that snow crab quota could decrease in two to four years.
If that was a concern, he wonders why a licence would be issued to St. Mary’s. As for a groundfish license for St. Mary’s, he says we don’t need DFO to tell us that we’re on the brink of a moratorium.
