The fish farming industry is calling on the three party leaders to state their position on the creation of a vast marine conservation zone on the south coast which it says will kill aquaculture, fishing and mining jobs.

The proposed National Marine Conservation Area is over 6,500 sq. km, about a thousand sq. km larger than Prince Edward Island.

Executive Director of the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association Keith Sullivan says such a zone poses a massive economic threat to the south coast.

The association is calling on all candidates and leaders to withdraw any support or endorsement of the proposal as the finfish industry has been practiced sustainably for years and accounts for about 2,500 jobs.

PCs oppose possible federal restrictions on fishing and mining in area

PC Leader Tony Wakeham, told a gathering in Harbour Breton on the weekend that he is against such federal restrictions.

Wakeham says it would amount to a ban on fishing and mining on the south coast, something which he is not prepared to allow.

Sullivan says such restrictions would discourage investment in the province as it creates too much uncertainty.

NDP supports proposal, cites misinformation in circulation

NDP Leader Jim Dinn says he’s spoken to local residents and says there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the proposal. He supports the concept of a marine protected area.

“It’s not going to ban a commercial fishery” Dinn told reporters this morning “it’s going to restrict the types of gear…I know the people in the area support this greatly.” “We would support a marine protected area….This is not a top-down decision…this came from the people who live there themselves.”

Liberal Party supports conservation, but not at cost to local residents

The Liberal Party says it supports marine conservation, but it cannot come at a cost to the fishery, aquaculture industry and those who make their livelihood from the waters of the province’s south coast. The party vows to work in collaboration with communities, businesses and other groups and organizations who are party to the MOU to plan for a proposal that protects the industry and the people who depend on it.