SEA-NL launches province-wide petition for review of obstacles to becoming inshore enterprise owner
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) is circulating a province wide petition calling on the provincial government to undertake public consultations on the obstacles to becoming an inshore enterprise owner. “Anyone can fish, but not anyone can become a licensed small-boat owner-operator,” says Pam Patten, President of SEA-NL, and a Fortune-based inshore owner-operator. “The time and cost of acquiring a fishing enterprise is out of reach for too many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and the inshore fleet and rural communities are fading faster because of it.”The paper petition calls on the provincial government to undertake province-wide consultations on the impediments to becoming an inshore enterprise owner. >click to read<
Fully certified with the PFHCB with 120 credits, 24 years fishing with more than enough full time fishing seasons on record, prevented from taking over family enterprise unless willing to quit the same job that every fish harvester in the province has been allowed to hold since 1997. Spending five years in a professionalization program and on the water fishing should be enough to prove anyone’s commitment to the fishery. The only option for people like me shouldn’t be to give up being a contributing member of society and go on employment insurance to become eligible to advance and own a licence. The earnings criteria and fishing season was removed for level 1 and level 2 fish harvesters in 1997 when the program was introduced because they new that in many cases it isn’t practical to run an enterprise from fishing income alone, it was removed for apprentices in 2021 to address crewing issues because they finally realized that the majority of us couldn’t get anyone to come aboard our boat that could comply, yet they won’t budge on removing it for people in the program trying to advance. Our only option is to give up being contributing members of society and go on employment insurance for the majority of a hypothetical fishing season that hasn’t been applicable to fish harvesters since the professionalization program was introduced in 1997. It’s time for the provincial government to wake up and realize it’s 2023. I’m fortunate enough to not need a handout from the Feds so I shouldn’t be forced to take one to become eligible to legally own my families fishing enterprise.