44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 30, 2022 11:00AM
- May/30/22 8:15:05 p.m.
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Madam Chair, 80% without a plan is not a strong performance.
Is the minister going to cut the southwest Nova Scotia herring quota by 63%?
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- May/30/22 8:15:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like to ask the minister when this decision will be made with regard to herring quota, since the season is about to start.
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- May/30/22 8:42:45 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am pleased to speak this evening.
On March 30, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard closed the herring and mackerel fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with no prior notice that would have enabled fishers to pivot and come up with a plan B.
When did the department first observe a drop in the biomass of spring herring and mackerel?
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- May/30/22 8:45:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like to thank my colleague for her question.
Many fishermen harvest other healthy stocks, such as lobster. Very few of them fish only herring and mackerel. We helped them by including them in the scientific fisheries to—
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- May/30/22 8:48:14 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is quite surprising that the government has not already done so. Could the minister give an idea of the timeline? When does she plan to assess how much compensation should be paid to these fishers who are facing a black hole, who no longer have EI, who are waiting in limbo and whose families are running out of resources and money?
Some fishers and families are in dire straits. It is not true that all fishers also fish lobster. Many fishers in the Gaspé earn their living solely from herring and mackerel. I would like to know whether she plans to do something quickly.
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- May/30/22 8:51:07 p.m.
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Madam Chair, at a parliamentary committee at the National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec's department of agriculture, fisheries and food revealed that DFO and its minister did not notify the Quebec government before suspending the mackerel and herring fishery, even though they are supposed to. We in Quebec would like to know why.
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- May/30/22 8:51:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we will stick to small fish. It will do me good to speak about something other than capelin, but I will come back to that.
What statistics did the department use to make its decision to suspend mackerel and herring fishing? Does the department have data from fishers outside Quebec? The fishers in the pelagic fishery in Gaspé say they are pretty much the only ones to report their catches. What does the minister think of the fishers' statement?
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- May/30/22 8:55:23 p.m.
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Madam Chair, in closing on this subject, what can the fishers hope for as they listen to us today from the Gaspé knowing they have no more work? Given that the fishers who depend on the herring and mackerel fisheries will have nothing to eat tomorrow, what can they hope for from the minister and her department as we speak in the House right now?
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- May/30/22 10:48:30 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, the member certainly should review the rules around the committee of the whole and estimates, which actually provides any member either the opportunity to speak for the entire 15 minutes, asking questions, or to provide 10 minutes of a speech, followed by questions. I am sure the member knew that and he just forgot.
Canada's fish harvesters have responded to the growing demands for markets to demonstrate that the fish products come from sustainable fisheries. Across Canada, there are approximately 45 fisheries that are a part of 32 Marine Stewardship Council certifications, having demonstrated that they meet the criteria established by the global non-profit organization for sustainable fisheries. These include Atlantic fisheries such as northern and striped shrimp, offshore scallops, lobster, Arctic surf clams, snow crab, swordfish and groundfish, Atlantic halibut, cod, redfish and herring and Pacific fisheries such as salmon, Pacific halibut and more.
Moreover, 61% of all landings from Canada's fisheries come from fisheries in the MSC program. It is one of the highest percentages among major fishing nations. The long-term sustainability and success of the commercial fishing sector is directly linked to the health of fish stocks. Growing pressure on fish stocks and environmental impacts, such as the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, pose current and future challenges for Canadian fisheries. Many harvesters will say that they can see the impacts of climate change out on the water. While some stocks in Canadian waters, such as lobster and halibut, appear to be benefiting from current environmental conditions, some commercially significant marine fish stocks in Canada are at low levels or at risk of decline.
With the modernization of the Fisheries Act in 2019, our government created new tools to continue to promote healthier marine ecosystems and more abundant fish stocks across the country. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard now has the legislative and regulatory mechanisms in place to protect existing fish and fish habitat, prioritize rebuilding depleted fish stocks and incorporate indigenous traditional knowledge into decision-making—
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- May/31/22 12:03:45 a.m.
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Mr. Chair, the installation of intensive subtidal geoduck aquaculture is proposed for the herring spawning grounds in Lambert Channel which, according to Department of Fisheries and Oceans records, are the source of 38% of all the herring spawn that has ever occurred on the B.C. coast and would support the whole Strait of Georgia marine ecosystem.
Will the minister put the protection of the spawning habitat of this keystone species ahead of the installation of industrial aquaculture and save it from the inevitable cumulative damage that would follow?
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