Charges have been laid against Quinlan Brothers for allegedly processing and transporting dead snow crab.
Four charges were filed this morning against the Bay de Verde company under the Fish Inspection Act and Fish Inspection Operations Regulations.
The action was taken following inspections by provincial fisheries officials on May 30th and June 29th of this year.
The department acknowledges there have been issues with quality throughout this season, with dead crab identified before processing, resulting in the dumping of about 200,000 pounds this year, compared to almost 300,000 pounds last year.
Officials stressed the importance of ensuring NL snow crab remains a high-quality product in the global market.
And they say the proper holding and handling of the product “has a direct impact on the quality of snow crab from the time it comes out of the water until it is processed.”
Officials cited a stringent quality assurance program for ensuring seafood caught, processed, and sold here can compete with the top producers in the world.