One of the key business groups in the Canadian seafood industry has come out in favour of Ocean Choice International, as it campaigns to export much of its unprocessed yellowtail flounder quota.

"The Fisheries Council of Canada fully supports it," president Patrick McGuinness told CBC News.

McGuinness said the global fisheries market has changed, and the Asian marketplace wants frozen whole fish.

Patrick McGuinness says OCI has the full support of the Fisheries Council of Canada. (CBC )

"Bottom line is, unless you're listening to the customer and supplying the customer with the type of products that they want, you're going to lose those jobs in any event."

OCI has won the unanimous support of its workforce in Fortune for a controversial proposal that ties 110 full-time jobs at the plant to a request for an exemption that would allow 75 per cent of the yellowtail flounder catch to be shipped out of the country without processing.

The Fish, Food and Allied Workers union is opposed to the proposal, arguing that it contravenes union policies against the wholesale export of unprocessed fish. The union is also worried that foreign fleets may be hired to catch the fish.

Members of the Fisheries Council met in St. John's Thursday with Fisheries Minister Derrick Dalley, who is weighing arguments in the case.

"I spent 10 years in dispute resolution. That should help me I would hope," Dalley told the meeting.

Speaking later with reporters, Dalley said one of his priorities is the Fortune workforce.

"We have an opportunity to make Fortune work. And, you know, until that opportunity is gone, we have to put all of our effort into trying to make it work."

Dalley is still hoping that OCI and the FFAW can find common ground in the case.