Federal lobster aid process 'bureaucratic': MFU

The federal government's aid package to lobster fishermen is"highly bureaucratic" and will make it hard for many people to qualify for any money, according to the Maritime Fishermen's Union.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has anted up $65 million to help eastern Canadian fishermen hurt by this year's disastrous season, which saw lobster prices tumble to a 20-year low.

Lobster fishermen on New Brunswick's eastern shore will be meeting throughout October to study the federal government's latest attempt to help them.

Christian Brun, the executive director of the Maritime Fishermen's Union, said it's his job to meet with fishermen and try to help them apply for Ottawa's financial assistance package.

But Brun said the recently announced details for this money are complicated and he's not sure who will get any cash out of the federal government.

"[It is] very hard to understand, highly bureaucratic," he said.

"It seems like we have a program that has some criteria that are very extremely tight."

$5,000 cap on assistance

Nadia Bouffard, a spokeswoman with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said about a third of fishermen should qualify for some financial relief, up to $5,000.

And Bouffard said there is other help available to the lobster fishermen.

Brun saidmany of his members are focused on the short-term help that Ottawa has announced, but$5,000 is not a lot for fishermen who have had a disastrous year.

"We're talking about a really difficult situation harvesters [are] declaring bankruptcies all over," Brun said.