Ministers Address Lobster Prices

Fisheries Ministers from the Maritime provinces agreed today, May 15, to create an independent panel to examine factors affecting lobster prices in Atlantic Canada and to work collectively on marketing initiatives.

The panel will consider ways to ensure the best return to all industry players and communities, recognizing the uniqueness of the various fishing areas in the region and of the live and processed products produced.

The ministers will reach out to other jurisdictions in the region, including Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Maine. Ministers also agreed the federal government has a key role to play in the management of the fishery and the development of international markets.

"This was an important and productive meeting that is crucial to the future of our coastal communities," said Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Sterling Belliveau. "Working together we can find solutions to an important issue facing families in our region."

Senior government officials will report back to the ministers in two weeks concerning the terms of reference and membership of the panel.

"While we're moving forward to address this issue in Prince Edward Island, I am pleased we'll be co-operating with others in Atlantic Canada facing similar challenges," said the province's Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development Minister Ron MacKinley.

"It was a very productive meeting," said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Michael Olscamp of New Brunswick. "We all agreed it is not a New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or P.E.I. issue, it's an Eastern Canadian issue. It's only by working together that we can move forward."