Fishers Receive Modest Final Payment For Fish

Fishers Receive Modest Final Payment For Fish

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 at 13:20

A number of commercial fishers in the North are getting a final payment this year from their marketer — a year after having to make do without one.

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation says it’s paying out $1.4 million in final payments this year to fishers across the Prairies.

In fact, the cheques should be arriving this week.

Last year, for the first time in recent memory, the FFMC couldn’t pay out final payments because of the hit it took when the value of the Canadian dollar started soaring.

FFMC spokesman Stephen Kendall notes the final payment being given to fishers this year is still well below the $7 million handed out in 2003.

Kendall says most of the final payments are being made to fishers who delivered pickerel. However, this will be the third straight year that whitefish producers will be shut out.