The shrimp fishery has opened in Area 6, the main fishing grounds off Newfoundland and Labrador, but it looks like a tough year.

There’s a glut of shrimp on the market and demand is down but processors say they risk running at a significant loss if they pay the $1.08 per pound set by the price setting panel.

Leaving the shrimp in the water is not a good situation, says Association of Seafood Producers executive director Derek Butler. Similar fisheries in Quebec and the Maritimes are paying 75 cents per pound, a far cry from the $1.08 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The association and the FFAW are at odds over whether producers are violating collective bargaining by not processing at this time. Butler says their members do not have to run their business at a loss.

The Labrador Shrimp Company will process this year.