Grand Falls – Windsor, NL – Clifford Small, MP for Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame and Shadow Minister for Fisheries, Oceans and The Canadian Coast Guard; Rick Perkins, MP for South Shore-St. Margarets and Shadow Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry; John Williamson, MP for New Brunswick Southwest; and Chris d’Entremont, MP for West Nova, released the following statement on the recent reduction of the herring Total Allowable Catch (TAC) in Southwestern Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy:
“In early July, in a shameful and outlandish decision by Liberal Minister Diane Lebouthillier, Bay of Fundy herring fish harvesters were given the shocking news that their quota will be reduced by 24% for the next 4 years to 16,000 tonnes. Earlier this month, North America’s leading producer of canned herring, Connors Bros., announced it would lay off 20% of its workers in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick. Over 100 people will be out of work because the Liberal Fisheries Minister slashed harvests this summer in the Bay of Fundy.
“This NDP-Liberal government once again shows that they don’t listen to Atlantic Canadians, and they don’t care about our harvesters as jobs are lost and livelihoods destroyed due to the total mismanagement of our fisheries by Trudeau and his six failed Fisheries Ministers.
“It’s clear that instead of listening to harvesters and experts, the Trudeau Government continues to only listen to environmental radicals and foreign lobbyists. The Herring Science Council has even publicly stated they were not consulted on the decision and called out the Liberal government for their failure to properly consult.
“Common Sense Conservatives call upon the Minister of Fisheries to listen to fish harvesters and reverse the reduction of the Bay of Fundy herring quota so harvesters can make a living in a way that does not harm the herring stock.”