Dion Bennett, a fish harvester out of Little Port Harmon in Stephenville, sat with a full load of crab on his boat Tuesday afternoon.
The St. George’s resident is quite comfortable fishing out of this port for his first season, but is a veteran fish harvester in his 20th year of fishing crab.
He said the spot where he has pots set in St. George’s Bay, between Crabbes River and the wharf in Cape St. George, has been good the past couple years. For him, selling to the Fogo Island Co-op is working out well.
“They’re a good organization and the fact they are buying out of Little Port Harmon is working out well because the private buyers need competition to keep the prices up where they should be,” he said. “Hopefully they will keep coming here.”
Renny Hickey, another fish harvester out of Little Port Harmon, said the co-op also purchases from him and is working out well and is satisfied with the $2 a pound he’s receiving.
He figures about 70 per cent of fish harvesters on the west coast of Newfoundland are selling to Fogo Island.
“While there was some talks of a price drop in early May, I’m certainly hoping the price will hold up,” Hickey said, adding he has 140 traps in the water and is averaging about 50 pounds per pot.
“Fishermen think that with the amount of crab around that there should be a big increase in the quota. The quota should be put back up to at least 8,000 pounds.”
Mr. Hickey said the reason for the Fogo Island Co-op coming in and purchasing crab is that a group of five companies got together in this province and wanted the price of lobster dropped to a minimum of $2.50. He said the going price was $3.25 at the time.
“Fishermen wouldn’t go along with it and they (fish harvesters) got together with the union and got hold of Fogo Island Co-op, which backed us up the last two years by coming to Little Port Harmon and setting up,” he said.
