The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) plays a critical role in collecting, processing, and marketing freshwater fish in Canada. FFMC works with nearly to 1,600 Canadian harvesters, many from Indigenous communities that depend on this vital service.
In July 2019, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, released the Advisory Panel’s Final Report: Transformation of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation.
The Panel’s recommendations recognize the potential for a harvester-led or partnership model for inland fisheries, with an emphasis on bringing harvester groups together to be a part of, and provide leadership in, a transformed FFMC.
To that end, it also recommended the appointment of an interlocutor to help facilitate the transformation process. To lead next steps in the transformation process, Kevin G. Anderson will serve as the dedicated interlocutor.
Acting as a liaison between fish harvesters, Indigenous groups and other partners, the interlocutor will work directly with harvester associations, co-operatives, and other partners to assess the industry’s willingness and capacity to sustain and co-operate under a harvester-led model.
The interlocutor will also work to establish a committee of representatives from the fishing industry to improve communications and information sharing both within the industry and with the FFMC, and to promote industry-led solutions that support harvester ambitions for the future of the inland fishery.
The committee will also provide opportunities for collaborative and cooperative action within the industry and to build the foundation for transformation.
The FFMC will continue to operate normally and to serve harvesters’ interests throughout the interlocutor-led process.
The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) is a federal Crown corporation established in 1969 and headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Under the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act, the Corporation has the exclusive right to market and trade freshwater fish in interprovincial and export markets. This applies to designated products supplied by participating jurisdictions.
The FFMC’s mandate is to purchase all fish lawfully harvested and offered for sale in its jurisdiction, create an orderly market, promote international markets, increase fish trade, and increase returns to fishers.
The FFMC seeks to do this through effective marketing, efficient supply chain management, and value-added processing of quality freshwater fish products.
source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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