Vancouver Island MPs are calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to work on their decision-making process.

North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney joined Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns (NDP critic for fisheries) and Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP Alistair MacGregor in calling on the minister to improve the decision-making process and consult with workers in the sector before making changes in regulations. The call comes after a DFO ban on freezing spot prawns at sea for the domestic market. That ban was reversed, but not necessarily permanently.

B次元官网网址淒FO is supposed to be working alongside harvesters but theyB次元官网网址檝e shown that they arenB次元官网网址檛 listening. New Democrats heard the concerns from fish harvesters and got the fisheries committee to study the ban on freezing prawns at sea. We found out that the government had no good reason to ban tubbing in the first place. Clearly, this wasnB次元官网网址檛 a conservation measure,B次元官网网址� said Johns. B次元官网网址淭he government needs to assure fishers that they wonB次元官网网址檛 suddenly change regulations and make it harder for harvesters to support their families.B次元官网网址�

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Johns proposed a new timeline standard for rule changes at the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. That standard is that changes must be announced 180 days before the opening of spot prawn season so fishers B次元官网网址渁renB次元官网网址檛 scrambling to adjust at the last minute,B次元官网网址� according to an NDP press release.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not right for DFO to randomly change the rules and impact the livelihoods of people on our coast, especially when those changes are not needed,B次元官网网址� said Blaney. B次元官网网址淭he minister needs to listen to the fisheries committee who heard directly from fish harvesters, as did I, and ensure that tubbing will be allowed in the coming years.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲hen New Democrats pushed back on DFOB次元官网网址檚 changes and asked the committee to study the issue, Conservative MPs said it was a knee jerk reaction. But after hearing from witnesses, everyone on the committee was flabbergasted by the departmentB次元官网网址檚 lack of rational for banning tubbing,B次元官网网址� added MacGregor.

Earlier in the week MP Blaney also tabled a signed by over 1,800 Canadians calling for DFO to permit fishers to continue the practice of freezing prawns at sea that was initiated by Powell River prawn fisher Emily Orr.

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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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