The fishermen rallied outside the Fredericton office of Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield, saying they are upset that low-priced lobsters from Maine are being processed in the province, thereby driving down prices for their own products.
“They can’t take it anymore,” said Christian Brun, a spokesman for the Maritime Fishermen’s Union. “They’re going to go bankrupt and everybody’s on the edge.”
U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine weighed into the fracas, calling on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to investigate the lobster dispute.
“While I understand that the New Brunswick government is attempting to control these protests, it is clear that additional Canadian resources are necessary to maintain order and ensure continued commerce across the border,” Snowe said in a letter to Clinton. “Any acts of intimidation, violence, or coercion cannot be tolerated and order must be maintained to ensure that our relationship with our Canadian partners does not undermine our long-term collaborative relationship on critical fisheries and maritime issues.
“Therefore, I am asking you to investigate this situation, raise the issue with your respective counterpart, and make it a priority within our bilateral relations with the Government of Canada to ensure this situation is resolved expeditiously.”
Lobster processors in New Brunswick agreed Friday to pay a minimum of $2.50 per pound for processed lobster and $3 per pound for live market lobster. But Brun said New Brunswick fishermen need $4 per pound for both fresh and processed lobster just to break even.
The union had hoped compensation from the New Brunswick government would make up for the difference. But provincial Fisheries Minister Michael Olscamp flatly refused that request.
“We’re not in the game of bridging gaps in salaries where people are paid for product,” he said. “It would set a very dangerous precedent.”
Brun said that decision has thrown a “monkey wrench” into ongoing negotiations between the government and the union.
Instead, the province has offered to grant fishermen who have taken part in an $11 million loan program an extra year to pay back the money. The union has refused, Brun said.
In an email, Ashfield’s office said he has been involved in ongoing discussions with the fishermen, adding that he believes “an industry-led solution will be the best way forward.”
The flare-up over lobster prices came to a head last week, when fishermen held demonstrations in Cap-Pele and Shediac, New Brunswick, and trucks were prevented from delivering Maine lobsters to three processors. The demonstrations spilled over into Prince Edward Island, where at least two lobster processors agreed to stop processing Maine product.
U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud of Maine said he spoke to an assistant secretary of state about the ability of Maine truckers to cross the border safely.
“This is a major economic concern for our lobster industry, but it’s also a safety concern for our truckers,” said Michaud.
The lobster season was scheduled to open Thursday in the Northumberland Strait in the southern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but the federal government delayed that until Monday at the request of the fishermen.