Good day, Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee. We would like to start by thanking you for this opportunity to speak on the important issue of ecosystem impacts and management of pinniped populations in Canada.
The Arctic Research Foundation is a non-profit charity that enables and catalyzes community-led science and infrastructure projects in Canada. We work with communities to build networks of NGOs, universities, researchers and governments to fund and deliver programming, while providing access to ships, green energy-powered mobile labs and other equipment. ARF is the only organization in Canada with a fleet of six fully equipped research vessels specializing in nearshore and uncharted marine areas. You can find this information on our three large ships in appendix B of our written brief.
Our work is wide ranging, from hydrographic mapping to ecological map monitoring, food security innovation and transporting indigenous community members to harvesting grounds where elders can pass traditional knowledge on to youth. We have a great deal of experience working in the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific waters, and working with indigenous hunters, trappers and fishers, who are directly impacted by government policies on fisheries and ocean mammals such as pinnipeds.
Throughout this committee's study, several witnesses have noted gaps in data on pinniped populations, their diets and their broader impacts on ecosystems. Representatives from DFO admitted significant knowledge gaps to this committee. This is consistent with what we have heard in our consultations with communities and researchers, and what we have seen on the ground during our operations.
I'd like to quote Jackie Jacobson, an Inuk leader in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, who is the MLA for Nunakput and a member of ARF's board. He said, “In Husky Lakes, seals are killing trout, so if we see a seal, we shoot it, but there's a complete lack of resources for scientific studies, and we don't know the population numbers. We just know that the fish aren't biting.”
I'd like to now turn it over to Tom Henheffer to continue.