A growing collection of bona fide fishermen is challenging a recent vote to endorse a new provincial lobster marketing board and say the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association may have left hundreds out in the cold.
“I feel strongly that fishermen were not fully informed of the process, how it works, and what it means to fishers at dockside,” said Donnie Johnston. “This is such an important process that more time should be spent on proper discussions with fishermen and full explanations of the entire process.”
RELATED: P.E.I. lobster fishermen approve marketing board
The association announced last week it is proceeding to seek approval from the P.E.I. Natural Products Marketing Council to form a lobster marketing board – the first of its kind in the Maritimes.
This follows an earlier vote approving a “penny a pound” levy on the catch this year to create a marketing fund.
However, something is wrong, says Johnston, when less than half of the 1,200 bona fide P.E.I. fishermen participated in the secret mail-in ballot and a marketing board request goes ahead with only a 20 per cent approval rating.
“There’s a definite lack of transparency and fairness to hold a vote where the fishers are not properly informed,” said the Murray River fisherman. “As a lobster fisherman, I have not received any notification or information on a vote for a lobster marketing board.”
Johnston said information packages did not reach all bona fide fishers and a number of fishermen have texted The Guardian to complain about the issue and the lack of an opportunity to vote.
There are about 1,200 lobster fishers on the Island and the association said 674 fishers were registered to vote. The association required participants to register to vote on the question. Johnston contends all license holders should have automatically been registered.
The marketing council – which handled the count - said 404 envelopes were received with 75 disqualified and 329 found eligible. In the end, there were 300 valid envelope submissions with 227 in favour.
Johnston said the issue of a commodity board is more than paying a one cent per pound levy, because once installed, it includes price setting, product quantities, and even conduct activities.
“With 1,200 lobster fishers and only 227 fishermen voting in favour of the process, it means that less than 20 per cent of the fishermen actually supported the process in the vote taken.”
A growing collection of bona fide fishermen is challenging a recent vote to endorse a new provincial lobster marketing board and say the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association may have left hundreds out in the cold.
“I feel strongly that fishermen were not fully informed of the process, how it works, and what it means to fishers at dockside,” said Donnie Johnston. “This is such an important process that more time should be spent on proper discussions with fishermen and full explanations of the entire process.”
RELATED: P.E.I. lobster fishermen approve marketing board
The association announced last week it is proceeding to seek approval from the P.E.I. Natural Products Marketing Council to form a lobster marketing board – the first of its kind in the Maritimes.
This follows an earlier vote approving a “penny a pound” levy on the catch this year to create a marketing fund.
However, something is wrong, says Johnston, when less than half of the 1,200 bona fide P.E.I. fishermen participated in the secret mail-in ballot and a marketing board request goes ahead with only a 20 per cent approval rating.
“There’s a definite lack of transparency and fairness to hold a vote where the fishers are not properly informed,” said the Murray River fisherman. “As a lobster fisherman, I have not received any notification or information on a vote for a lobster marketing board.”
Johnston said information packages did not reach all bona fide fishers and a number of fishermen have texted The Guardian to complain about the issue and the lack of an opportunity to vote.
There are about 1,200 lobster fishers on the Island and the association said 674 fishers were registered to vote. The association required participants to register to vote on the question. Johnston contends all license holders should have automatically been registered.
The marketing council – which handled the count - said 404 envelopes were received with 75 disqualified and 329 found eligible. In the end, there were 300 valid envelope submissions with 227 in favour.
Johnston said the issue of a commodity board is more than paying a one cent per pound levy, because once installed, it includes price setting, product quantities, and even conduct activities.
“With 1,200 lobster fishers and only 227 fishermen voting in favour of the process, it means that less than 20 per cent of the fishermen actually supported the process in the vote taken.”
