Harvesters have left the Sheraton where they disrupted the first day of price negotiations, saying their survival is at stake if changes aren’t made to the way the resource is shared.

Some one hundred of them began a protest at the FFAW headquarters in St. John’s before moving to the hotel where they stayed for about two hours even after the RNC asked them to leave.

Five RNC officers watch over the protest at the Sheraton. Crab harvesters disrupted price negotiations at the Sheraton. Meeting between harvesters and president Greg Pretty continue pic.twitter.com/wQ4gK3Jba9

— Brian Madore (@bmadorevocm) March 20, 2023

After some backroom talks with the executive, they moved the protest to MP Seamus O’Regan’s constituency office on Topsail Road.

Crab protest is moving to cabinet minister Seamus O’Regan’s HQ. They have left the Sheraton for now but vow to return tomorrow if they get no satisfaction. Harvesters complain of unfair quota allocations and poor representation by FFAW.

— Brian Madore (@bmadorevocm) March 20, 2023

The protesters fish in 3L, the area from Cape Freels to the southern Avalon. Instead of being one biomass, DFO has created two biomasses which protesters say leaves the inshore sector with less and the larger offshore boats with more.

They accuse the union, the FFAW, of weak representation on the issue.

Harvester Keith Boland says they’re upset about the way crab quotas are split.

He says they have issued with the precautionary approach being taken and the way in which the department is dividing the biomass into inshore and offshore. “Years ago, there was no ‘inside 25 mile’….the crab moved in and the crab moved out,” He laments. “We’re not getting much science now.”

FFAW Secretary Treasurer Jason Spingle told them that their fight is more with Ottawa than the union.

He told the protest that he agrees with everything their saying and that protests in the past have gotten results but not overnight.

MP Seamus O’Regan says he will be meeting with the 3L harvesters and the union later today.

He says harvesters are facing real challenges with the current precautionary approach framework and he is looking forward to the meeting.

I’ll be meeting with 3L inshore fishers later today.

They’re facing real challenges with the current precautionary approach framework. Looking forward to a productive chat with them and the FFAW.

— Seamus O'Regan Jr (@SeamusORegan) March 20, 2023

Protesters vow to be back tomorrow morning if they don’t get answers and commitments.

Earlier Story

Some one hundred fish harvesters have gathered at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John’s and are refusing to leave as fish price setting negotiations for the crab fishery get underway.

The RNC asked the protesters to leave on behalf of the hotel administration, but the harvesters refused.

Since then, FFAW President Greg Pretty emerged from the meetings and spoke with some of the protesters. He has since joined with them in another room to go over their concerns.

“I’m curious,” he asked, “What mess has the union left you in?”.

Harvester Keith Boland says they’re upset about the way the crab are being categorized.

He says they have issues with the precautionary approach being taken and the way in which the department is dividing the biomass into inshore and offshore.

“Years ago, there was no ‘inside 25 mile’… the crab moved in and the crab moved out.” He laments “we’re not getting much science now.”