FFMC Tells Fishers They Will Soon Be On Their Own

FFMC Tells Fishers They Will Soon Be On Their Own

Monday, May 03, 2010 at 15:04

 

 

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation says it won’t be buying fish from Saskatchewan commercial fishers after April 1st of next year.

 

The news was delivered by FFMC president John Wood at a meeting over the weekend in Prince Albert.

 

He says the move comes after fishers lobbied the government to be released from the monopoly the FFMC holds over sales of inland fish.

 

Wood says that means there won’t be any more drop-off points or agents for fishers to use once April 1st, 2011 rolls around.

 

Some fishers had hoped the FFMC would continue to buy their product while they established their own markets.

 

However, they say they won’t be scared off by the news.

 

Brian MacDonald is the new president of the Saskatchewan Commercial Fishers Co-operative.

 

He says despite the situation, fishers believe this is the path they must go down if they want to get better prices.

 

MacDonald notes that the FFMC is forecasting a 12 per cent drop in sales, and fishers fear that kind of talk.

 

MacDonald says fishers still want to construct a new processing plant in Prince Albert — but if that doesn’t happen in time for the April 1st deadline, they will look at renting space instead.