Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones says that the long-term viability and future of the fishing industry in this province rests entirely on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) reached between the provincial government, the fishery union and the province’s seafood producer this week. 

The MOU, announced at a press conference today by the three parties, involves the formation of working groups that would complete an indepth cost analysis of restructuring, a marketing strategy, as well as the development of restructuring models for both the harvesting and processing sectors.

“This MOU should be about turning a very critical corner in the fishing industry and we hope the strategy works,” says Jones. “There is too much at stake, not just in the industry itself, but for every rural region throughout Newfoundland and Labrador for this agreement to end up as just another piece of paper.”

“The toll of an industry tumbling from one crisis to another is being felt by too many people and by too many communities and we need this agreement to push us forward into a new era of optimism, renewal and stability in the industry.”

Jones says while she supports the spirit and the objectives of the MOU and the solutions that should come forth from the working groups by the end of the year, she is urging the provincial government to stop relying on the federal government for solutions to make the industry more internationally competitive.