Courtenay – Alberni MP Gord Johns is protesting against a new DFO regulation affecting commercial prawn boat operators.
DFO enforcement managers decided to prevent at-sea freezing of tails in containers arguing it makes measuring the prawns difficult.
“It only takes 5 minutes to pour water over a tub of prawns and measure them,” he said. “It seems to be an overzealous decision from someone within the department and there’s no explaination.”
Johns said the decision could put two-thirds of the prawn fleet out of work, and affects coastal food security.
He said the government has back-tracked slightly on the decision, promising to study the issue for the next year.
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