Guardian urges P.E.I. mussel growers and oysters growers to work together
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Guardian] - September 24, 2014 - (Opinion Editorial)
It’s important that P.E.I. fishermen work together today, an era where buyers and processors seem to have the upper hand.
Since February, the P.E.I. Aquaculture Leasing Board, a partnership of government and industry, approved more than 900 new acres of fishing leases for mussel growers to convert to oysters, a big jump from the 600 total acres approved over the last four years. There is a huge concern about increasing mussel leases in the key battleground of Malpeque Bay by a further 1,500 acres.
The P.E.I. Cultured Mussel Growers Association and the P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance find themselves on one side of the argument with the P.E.I. Shellfish Association on the other. The alliance says the various fishing groups must stop fighting and work together to develop an oyster vision for P.E.I. that recognizes the importance of both the cultured and wild fishery. That hasn’t happened yet.
In jeopardy is the livelihood of approximately 700 public oyster fishermen and their families.
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