FFAW President Greg Pretty is in Ottawa today to make the case for federal support for those affected by what the union calls the post-pandemic collapse in the snow crab market.

Pretty says generous pandemic stimulus spending in the United States during COVID drove seafood markets to dizzying heights, followed by a crash.

He says the “anomalous downturn” in the snow crab fishery requires federal intervention to protect those who are currently in crisis.

He says it’s going to be tough, especially for harvesters with small quotas, to make enough to qualify for EI. The same is true for plant workers who have already lost a large portion of the season.

That’s on the federal side, but Pretty says the provincial government needs to take action on the processing side of the equation as well.

He says a driver’s license is a privilege, and responsibility, “the same should be (the case) with a processing license issued by this province.” Pretty says there has to be consequences for processors who “behave poorly.”