Opening of N.L. crab fishery will inject new money into provincial economy
After nearly a month of delays prompted by COVID-19 fears and a wrangle over prices, crab fisherman from Newfoundland and Labrador are ready to put pots in the water. The crab fishing season stats midnight, Monday, May 11, putting thousands of skippers and crew members back to work. While there is still some angst — with fish harvesters seeking a federal aid package to help them through what they say is an extra challenging year — the start of this fishery is a relief for many, like the people who work on the processing lines at places like the Ocean Choice International (OCI) plant in Bonavista. The main market for this shellfish is the United States, with about half of the Atlantic Canada catch ending up in restaurants, casinos and cruise ships. With those industries shut down, the only market left is the grocery store, where crab is often sold as a promotional sale item. As a result, fishers in N.L. will get $2.90 a pound, a drop from last year’s average price of $5.14. However, fishers are also getting a little more crab to catch. >click to read< 08:02
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