Once upon a time, Fishery Products International built a state-of-the-art shrimp processing plant that would have provided employment to its work force 48 weeks out of 52.
The project was contingent on the provincial fisheries minister showing some sense in handing out shrimp processing licenses. It depended on provincial politicians not trying to shift all the displaced cod and other plants with which the province remains grossly oversupplied onto other species like shrimp.
And, as it turned out, it also depended on provincial politicians not actively collaborating with efforts to smash the company that ran the plant and then sell off the bits and pieces – including the highly successful brands and the marketing arm – to anyone who wanted to scoop up the remains.
All it needed was a plant able to complete internationally run by a local fishing company big enough and well enough established to compete successfully around the globe.
That didn’t work, did it?
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