The minister of fisheries is standing by the enforcement regime in his department following charges against a long-established company for processing and distribution of dead crab.
Inspectors seized about 50,000 pounds of crab from Quinlan Brothers, laying a total of four charges in May and June. The company sounded off about the seizure, saying some half-a-million dollars worth of product was destroyed by officers before there was ever a court decision on guilt.
Minister Gerry Byrne says they do 1300 inspections a year in fish plants, and these were the only charges laid. So there is no widespread issue with problems with the inspection and enforcement process.
He says the total volume of crab in question is 0.04 per cent of the entire harvest of Newfoundland and Labrador.