Fisheries Committee on Feb. 13th, 2012

Evidence of meeting #24 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was imta.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Closed Containment Salmon Aquaculture

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Andrew Storey President and Chief Executive Officer, Open Ocean Systems Inc.

Fraser Walsh Chair, Board of Directors, Huntsman Marine Science Centre

Bill Robertson Executive Director, Huntsman Marine Science Centre

Thierry Chopin Scientific Director, Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network, University of New Brunswick

5:25 p.m.

Scientific Director, Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network, University of New Brunswick

Thierry Chopin

Yes. We have to be sure.... There are some discussions about the Fisheries Act. The Fisheries Act is an old document from 1868 that has been amended a few times, and it still needs a lot of updating. Then there is discussion of do we need an aquaculture act? Even if an aquaculture act is developed in the future, we have to be very careful that with aquaculture we don't take the same approach as with fisheries, which is a mono-specific approach: we want to manage one species in isolation, and another species in isolation. The problem with fisheries is that it has been missing the species interaction, and that's why we have problems with management.

So in aquaculture, if in the future there is an aquaculture act, I hope we don't fall into the same trap of doing it one species at a time. We have to look at the species interaction and we have to allow for that, and we have to allow for IMTA, because if we have the same travails of going into regulation one species at a time, we will have the same problems.

5:30 p.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Dr. Chopin, you raised--

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Rodney Weston

Thank you very much. I'm afraid I'll have to cut you off, Ms. Duncan. Time has elapsed here.

Dr. Chopin, I want to thank you very much for taking the time to come and appear before our committee today and answer our many questions. On behalf of the entire committee, I want to say thank you very much. We certainly do appreciate your time. Thank you.

There being no further business, this meeting stands adjourned.