Protesters say no clams, no money

The DFO office in Tracadie may have to get hide-a-beds. Another angry group of fishers has moved in to protest. This time it's clam harvesters. They want compensation because dangerous toxin levels has forced a ban on shellfish harvesting.

For them. no clam harvest means no profits.

"All we`re asking the government is, if they close it to help until we can start fishing again. We`re losing between $700 to $1000 a week," complained Sylvio Thibodeau.

Last month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency closed some waters in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. It found dangerous levels of domoic acid, a toxin released by algae that can make people sick. The ban has delayed harvesting for clams, oysters and mussels. Some fish processing plants have laid off workers because there are no shellfish to process.

The clam harvesters say the fisheries department should help them, since it closed off part of their livelihood. This is the second time in two months angry fishers have occupied the DFO office. The clam harvesters say they`ll stay until they get what they want.

A spokesman from the department of fisheries says there`s no programe to compensate the clam harvesters. So all it can do is wait for the ban to be lifted. That will happen only when three straight tests show acceptable dioxin levels.