44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 31, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/31/22 2:50:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Unifor issued a news release on its meeting with the Minister of Fisheries that stated that the minister said her goal was to leave as many fish in the water as possible and that fishermen would need to sacrifice their jobs for climate change. In a statement responding to the release, the minister did not deny this.
Is the minister's actual goal to shut down the fishing industry?
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- Mar/31/22 2:51:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my goal is to grow the fish and seafood industry, and for that we need sustainable stocks.
I have been misquoted at times and I will make decisions when stocks are in very critical state. I will make decisions that enable us to protect and grow them so that we can have sustainable fish and seafood and a growing fish and seafood industry for the generations to come.
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- Mar/31/22 2:52:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister shut down the Atlantic mackerel fishery. Mackerel is what we use for bait in the lobster fishery. Lobstermen in Maine used tons of carp this year for bait, yet the minister refuses to approve alternative bait methods over the concern that they may become invasive species. I have a news flash for the minister: Lobster bait is dead, rotting fish and cannot reproduce and is therefore not a threat.
Without other types of bait, there is no lobster fishery. Will the minister reverse this harmful decision?
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- Mar/31/22 2:53:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do recognize that this decision on mackerel fishing will have an impact on some harvesters. The mackerel stock has been in a very critical state for many, many years, and it needs a break so that it can recover and be there as bait for the lobster and crab fishers. That is why I gave almost two months' notice: It was so that the fishers and the harvesters could find those alternative sources of bait, which do exist and are available in their communities.
These stocks are important for other fish, such as cod, salmon and tuna, and I know the member wants to see those fish have something to eat too.
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- Mar/31/22 2:54:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, the mackerel stocks have been in a very critical state for a decade, and the time has come to give them a chance to regenerate and rebound, because we need mackerel stock for our fishers for bait for the very lucrative crab and lobster fishery and also for the whole ecosystem.
I am sure the member opposite would not want to be presiding over the extinction of such an important fish. We are going to protect it and regenerate it for the generations to come.
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- Mar/31/22 3:01:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities have a court-ordered right to fish in their traditional waters or to fish for a moderate livelihood. It is a principle of our government to satisfy those rights. There is not always the ability to add quota to satisfy those rights while also maintaining conservation of the stock for the long term, which is absolutely critical. That is why we have been in consultation with the crab fishers and the elver harvesters to have an industry-led way forward on these matters.
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- Mar/31/22 3:06:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would say that on both coasts, west and east, wild salmon are incredibly important to our government and to the people of this country. Any measures that we put in place are to protect and to help regrow the stocks of wild salmon. We are very engaged with the sports fisher community on both coasts. In fact, I met with a group of sport fishers just yesterday who were salmon fishers.
Yes, we want to enable the sport fishing community to fish. At the same time, we are working with them and others to make sure that we sustain these populations and regrow them for the generations to come.
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