International Trade committee  That's an important question. First and foremost, I implore the government to continue to fund the excellent and important work of people like Dr. Brown at the Canadian Whale Institute, and particularly the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Marine Animal Response Society and the Campobello Whale Rescue Team—I think that's really important—but also to continue to fund science in the lobster industry so that we can better understand lobster migration and abundance patterns, if the need arises, to shift our fishing effort due to the presence of whales.

International Trade committee  I would also note that some of the mitigation measures that are taken within Canada to mitigate right whale entanglements have had, and can have, extreme effects on our industry. All fishing in an area can be prevented. We're right in the middle of a crisis right now in the Gulf of St.

International Trade committee  They do it through documentaries that we don't feel are very accurate. They seem to be proud to put the DFO byline in the funding announcements with groups like IFAW, the Pew trust and Oceans North here in Canada, who fishermen don't feel have the best interests of the fishing industry at heart.

International Trade committee  We represent nearly 200 fishing families along the Nova Scotia coastline in the Bay of Fundy, and they employ nearly 750 fishermen.

International Trade committee  I think it's best to understand where the pressure on the American government is coming from. The pressure on the American government is coming from ENGOs like IFAW and the Pew trust. They're also engaging in punitive lawsuits against fishermen and state regulators in America. They're certainly under political pressure, and they're also under political pressure from American fishermen themselves, who are rebelling against some of the measures we've co-operated on here in Canada.

International Trade committee  Namely, it's parity with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, or the appearance of it, but, as Dr. Brown has said, there's a lot of feeling that we're on parity with it now. Essentially what they're pushing for is, in a sense, to transfer the blame entirely to Canadian fishermen for the sorry state of right whales.

International Trade committee  Yes, I would say that's correct. Under the Biden administration, I think there's been more focus on the conservation of whales. It's also due to the fact that there have been a significant number of ship strikes and entanglements as well. The emergence of it as an issue is also due to the fragile nature of the right whale population.

International Trade committee  I think first I would pose a question: Why is the Government of Canada working collaboratively with groups in the U.S. to fund what we feel are misinformation campaigns that entirely level the blame on entanglements and on Canadian fishermen?

International Trade committee  It's important for the committee to understand that there's a fundamental difference in the relationship between Canadian fishermen and Canadian conservation groups compared with the relationship between American fishermen and American conservation groups in that there has been a much more oppositional approach.

International Trade committee  The Bay of Fundy is the most diverse marine ecosystem on the face of the earth, and fishing is foundationally important to the communities that line the Bay of Fundy. Fishery products are our largest export in Nova Scotia, so I can't overemphasize how important they are to our communities.

International Trade committee  Yes, there certainly is. Lobster is really king in the Bay of Fundy. I think we calculated nearly a billion dollars' worth from the Bay of Fundy alone last year.

International Trade committee  Yes, there are certainly a lot of concerns in the lobster industry right now about access to bait, especially considering the moratorium on fishing pelagic species like mackerel and what that has meant. Bait is a chief concern. I'm sure there are lots of fishermen who would like to see the development of seal products for bait, and hopefully not at the expense of market access.

International Trade committee  I think they are largely imagined consequences at this point. There is not widespread use of seal products as lobster bait.

International Trade committee  The dialogue between Canadian officials and the industry certainly leaves room for improvement. There's an international dialogue as well, which is great, and there are things like the U.S.-Canada Lobster Town Meeting, which really helps to improve the dialogue between the industries.

International Trade committee  In my view, the best way the government can support a changing environment and its effect on fisheries is to support fishery science at a large scale within the department, but also at a smaller scale in industry-led science and partnerships that lobster and other harvesters are involved in all across the Atlantic provinces.