Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson says she was caught by surprise by France’s proposal to introduce an exploratory snow crab fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador.
The provincial government has called the move “offside.”
Thompson says Global Affairs Canada is currently working on the file, and she believes the issue will be resolved sooner rather than later.
“I found out like everyone else,” Thompson told VOCM News in an interview Friday afternoon.
“I think we can find a resolution, and I think it’s really important that I stand with harvesters, and I stand with the statement I made.”
She says France has not issued any new snow crab licences off Newfoundland.
