A number of candidates are coming forward for the presidency of the FFAW.

Long-time fisheries advocate and union member Bill Broderick came forward last week, with two more people now throwing their hats in the ring.

The deadline for nominations is May 22.

Dwan Street, a member of the union executive for the last decade, calls this race for the union’s top job one of the most hotly-contested in its history.

Street, the FFAW representative for 3PS, told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly advocacy is a big part of what she already does.

She says her guiding philosophy is “I work for you, you don’t work for me, and I’m here to represent what you want.”

Fisheries scientist Abe Solberg is relatively new to the union. He says a looming concern is the number of harvesters aging out of the workforce.

“We need to make strategies for young harvesters to come in, and to be able to sustain…an independent enterprise.” He says “we have a massive problem with corporate controlling agreements, and processing companies basically funding boats and people are not able then to sustain an independent enterprise—they are essentially working for a company and that is the exact opposite of what this union stands for.”