Tempers flare as crab harvesters take quota protests inside Confederation Building

Tensions were high at Confederation Building and other locations across St. John's as Newfoundland and Labrador's crab fishermen resumed their protest Wednesday, calling for a quota increase and changes to the federal government's fisheries management.

Dozens of harvesters descended on a Fisheries and Oceans Canada office in the east end of St. John's early Wednesday morning, with some using their vehicles to block traffic from coming in or out. 

Some used symbols of the fishery to protest, like a crab pot placed on the building's flag pole. 

The group then moved their protest to the Sheraton Hotel, where officials were meeting to set the crab prices.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers initially stood in front of the hotel's main entrance to ensure protesters remained outside, but shortly after noon, the fishermen made their way inside the hotel's ballroom.

Fisherman Jason Sullivan said he and his colleagues are calling for changes to the precautionary approach framework that separates the inshore fishery of Zone 3L — ranging from Conception Bay to St. Mary's Bay as far as Bonavista Bay — from the offshore fishery by designating two different biomasses within a 225-kilometre radius.

He says that in turn limits what inshore fishermen can catch, adding fishermen are already catching near the limit of what they can for the season.

"The precautionary approach has essentially put us inside of a box, and we're at the maximum of that box," Sullivan said.

"I like to think I'm, you know, fairly intelligent. But I can't understand for the life of me how you can say that an imaginary line separated makes two different biomasses."

The group also moved to Confederation Building to sit in on question period at the House of Assembly to bring their concerns directly to Fisheries Minister Derrick Bragg.

Many of the fishermen sat in the public gallery, but were removed after yelling in response to comments from the minister during question period.

Bragg was setting up a meeting with Fish, Food & Allied Workers secretary-treasurer Jason Spingle among the crowd after question period, when he was challenged by a crab harvester.

"Ye better brighten up. Get your hands out of your pockets or you're gonna have trouble," the man told Bragg in front of reporters. "I tell ya, I've been a fisherman a whole lifetime. You does nothing with your hands in your pockets, bicker and fight like a bunch of children. You're not solving anything."

"We're gonna have a conversation," Bragg responded, pointing to Spingle.

"You're gonna have a conversation. The whole time [you] have a conversation, but nothing comes out of the conversation," the man shouted back before Bragg left to speak with Spingle.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey told the House of Assembly Wednesday that he will travel to Ottawa to speak with Federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray about the fishery.

Protest will last as long as it takes: union

On Monday, protesters gathered outside the Sheraton before shifting their focus to St. John's South-Mount Pearl MP Seamus O'Regan's constituency office.

Spingle says they'll continue the protest as long as they have to.

The union issued a statement saying they stand in solidarity with the 3L inshore fleet, but added that members of the FFAW's inshore council have received threats of violence, personal harm and property damage since Monday's protest.

Asked if there will be a crab fishery in the province this season if the issue isn't resolved, the crowd responded with a chorus of noes.

In the meantime, Sullivan says protests and the blocking of traffic at the DFO office will continue for as long as it takes to get a resolution.

"If anyone's working in there, there in that building there, now it's a good time to take a holiday to Mexico. You're not going to work for a week."

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