Evidence of meeting #98 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was enforcement.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Briefly, Mr. Wentzell, if poaching of salmon is reported to be taking place on a river in Newfoundland and Labrador, what's the first step that DFO C and P would take?
4:10 p.m.
Regional Director General, Maritimes Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I can't speak about specific situations and what officers would decide on the ground, but they would use a range of tools to foster compliance.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
They foster compliance. What's the next step after you get the call that there's someone with a net on the river?
4:10 p.m.
Regional Director General, Maritimes Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Again, I can't speak to what C and P would do specifically in that situation, but they use a range of tools to make sure they're able to align the activity of harvesters with what is authorized by the department.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
You certainly would arrest them right away.
4:10 p.m.
Regional Director General, Maritimes Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Again, I can't speak for fishery officers and what they would do under that particular—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Mr. Napier, would you arrest them right away?
4:10 p.m.
Brent Napier Acting Director General, Conservation and Protection, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
No, sir, they wouldn't. If it was a call coming in, it would be referred to a fishery officer, who then may go down to the scene and assess the situation and circumstance, and based on their discretion, would take appropriate action.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Okay. Typically what I and others have seen is that they would be arrested. They get charged and they go to court, but typically, first of all, their vehicle is seized or any personal property that's used in the poaching activity.
Is that not correct?
4:10 p.m.
Acting Director General, Conservation and Protection, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Again, depending on the circumstances and the discretion of the officer that could occur, yes.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Since heavy fines and confiscation of personal property have been brought in as DFO protocol—I think Mr. Morley Knight, back in the day, brought in a lot of these things—what has been the result of poaching on salmon rivers in general? Has it worked?
Mr. Napier.
4:10 p.m.
Acting Director General, Conservation and Protection, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
What we're looking at is presenting a deterrent along the whole supply chain. Where you see officers in the field, that's important, but that's the tip of the iceberg, because that's just one point. By having deterrents along the entire supply chain, which includes the facilities they are held at, the export points, we're seeing that we're making a noted difference.
Having 60 might not seem like a lot—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Generally how have the deterrents been working in the poaching of Atlantic salmon?
4:10 p.m.
Acting Director General, Conservation and Protection, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
In the Atlantic salmon they have been effective. Again, there are conservation complexities related to that species.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
How would you rate that in the elver fishery?
4:10 p.m.
Acting Director General, Conservation and Protection, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
I think we're learning every consecutive year. I think closing the fishery, as is being proposed, provides us with lots of tools. We mentioned visibility and some of the laundering activities, but also it decreases tension, because what we see in the public safety domain is considerable tension between authorized and unauthorized fishers.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Poaching of elvers has been taking place for about seven years, from what we're told by stakeholders. Do you think that salmon poaching would get out of hand in the same manner that elver poaching has gotten out of hand, if it's a seven-year problem, or would you have it nipped in the bud by now?
4:10 p.m.
Acting Director General, Conservation and Protection, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Thank you for the question.
I believe the circumstances are different in the sense that what we're receiving is pressure from other community—
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Salmon is one species. Elver is a different species. It all falls under DFO regulation.
Why have you failed? After seven years—and it has all taken place under six different DFO ministers—this is a disgrace. How could you possibly let this happen?
Ms. Gibbons.
4:15 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We have put a tremendous enforcement effort on this fishery. We've increased it year over year—bringing in people, as I noted earlier, from different parts of the country. It is a very challenging fishery to manage at night on so many rivers—
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Ms. Gibbons, are you saying that your government is not up to the challenge of enforcing the law?
4:15 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
We certainly are. We take that responsibility of enforcing the law very seriously.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Clifford Small Conservative Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
This poaching of elvers has completely spiralled out of control, and it has increased exponentially. You basically admitted that in your opening remarks. Why is the enforcement effort not matching the escalation in the poaching activity? You could have brought in enforcement from B.C., from Alberta, from the Great Lakes, from everywhere.
