In the meantime, council called a special meeting Thursday night to discuss the situation and strategies going forward.
Invitations were sent out to municipal leaders from surrounding communities - the Marystown plant employed people from throughout the Burin Peninsula - as well as other stakeholder organizations in an attempt to spread support.
Ocean Choice International (OCI) closed the Marystown fish plant in December, citing heavy financial losses processing yellowtail flounder, along with its facility in Port Union, which was damaged during Hurricane Igor, and has said it has no intentions of reopening either.
Much of the debate Thursday focused on issues such as the audit of OCI's Marystown operation completed by Deloitte, or an "analysis" of the numbers provided by the fish company, according to Mayor Sam Synard, as well as the lack of transparency regarding the implementation agreement, signed during the sell off of Fishery Products International, which outlined OCI's commitments.
Mayor Synard said council was exploring using the Freedom of Information Act to request the document.
He also encouraged people to keep pounding the open line call-in radio shows to keep the issue in the media.
Among suggestions put forward during the meeting was the organization of a ‘day of protest' in the community and approaching businesses to ask them to write letters of support.
Marystown coun. Leonard Pittman, who owns a garage, said he believed that would not be a problem.
"You speak to any businessman in this town, they'll tell you the same thing - when the fish plant goes down, business goes down."
OCI has approached the provincial government about long-term processing exemptions for yellowtail and red fish, which if granted, would see the vast majority of the company's quotas for both shipped outside of province without first being processed at fish plants in this province as regulations require.
Mayor Synard, who suggested Mr. King won't make the decision on fish exemptions alone, but would likely go back to the cabinet table for discussion, said he believes "a political resolution" is the only real option for saving the plant. If OCI is denied exemptions, he suggested it would limit the company's options.
He said actions like digging a trench at the plant to prevent the removal of equipment, as was done in Burin during a similar crisis back in the early 1980s, might work as a temporary solution for a week or so but noted it would not provide a permanent fix.
"This issue really comes down to an exemption versus no exemption."
Allan Moulton, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union in Marystown, agreed with Mayor Synard the ultimate victory must come from the political side.
He reiterated many of the Marystown plant workers live in Mr. King's own District of Grand Bank.
"So he certainly should have a vested interest in trying to find some solutions for the Marystown plant."
Mr. Moulton requested other municipalities with people affected by the closure to help pressure government.
"I can only ask you as leaders in your community to do what you can, to either write the premier or contact the minister, and try to impress upon him the real importance that this is to all the communities on the Burin Peninsula from one end to the other."
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