Lobster marketing board meetings provide 'good feedback'

P.E.I. lobster fishermen have just a few more days to register to vote in the upcoming lobster marketing board plebiscite.

The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association has been holding information meetings across the province about the marketing board, which will be in charge of collecting a one cent a pound harvester levy that will be used to promote Island lobster.

Fishermen have already voted in favour of the levy, but now they have to vote on the marketing board itself.

The voting registration forms must be received by Jan. 26.

"We have had a lot of good questions on how this organization would be structured. So we have got a draft marketing plan and we presented that in our meetings and got some good feedback," said Ian MacPherson, executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association.

"So we'll take that feedback. We'll do up a final marketing plan and everyone will actually receive a copy of that marketing plan with their ballots. So they will be able to make a very informed decision."

MacPherson says it has been proposed that the current association board of directors would sit on the new board for the first year.

He saysby 2016, marketing board members would be elected with two representatives from each local fishing area on P.E.I.

Ballots for the marketing board plebiscite will be mailed out on March 5 to registered voters and must be returned by March 26.

The hope is that the levy will be collected by the spring lobster fishing season, says MacPherson.