The stress being felt by crab harvesters in the province has reached a boiling point as they fight to have one biomass in the 3L area (Cape Freels to the southern Avalon.)

DFO, meanwhile, is expected to explain the rationale behind the creation of two biomasses in the 3L zone.

Protests began yesterday as harvesters gathered at FFAW headquarters, then the Sheraton Hotel where price negotiations were being held, and finally moving over to MP Seamus O’Regan’s constituency office.

At the heart of the issue is the stock’s biomass, which DFO has split between offshore and inshore, with the inshore harvesters believing they’re getting the short end of the stick. Traditionally, there had been one biomass for the area. That, they say, is threatening the survival of the inshore sector as a whole.

FFAW Secretary Treasurer Jason Spingle requested a meeting with MP Seamus O’Regan on the issue, which other harvesters could attend and air their concerns.

Meanwhile, harvesters offered a warning to FFAW leadership should a resolution not be found and price negotiations resume.

One harvester says that if they find out price negotiations have resumed, “there’ll be hell to pay.”