Thank you very much.
I would like to thank the chair for the opportunity for the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association to present to the Standing Committee on Finance this morning.
My name is Ian MacPherson, and I'm the executive director of the PEIFA. Today I'm joined by Captain Craig Avery, who has over 40 years of experience in the commercial fishery, harvesting species such as lobster, tuna, and herring.
In terms of the mandate of the House of Commons Standing Order 83.1, we would like to expand on item two, which asks what federal action would assist businesses to meet their expansion, innovation, and prosperity goals, and item three, which asks what federal measures in rural or remote communities would encourage expansion and prosperity in serving domestic and international customers. This all ties in with the question around improving productivity.
The PEIFA represents the interests of 1,288 independent businesses on P.E.I. The association is dedicated to making positive changes in the fishery so that current and future generations can remain active and financially viable in the fishing sector for many years to come. As a side bar, we would like it noted that we strongly support the federal government's current position of strengthening the language around owner-operator and fleet separation policies and putting these policies into permanent legislation. Each of our owner-operator captains has significant financial investment in their fleets, which translates into a direct connection with our fishery and the desire to improve it.
Our fishery, along with agriculture and tourism, is one of the three top economic drivers of the Prince Edward Island economy. Proportionally, the fishery on P.E.I. contributes the highest percentage to provincial GDP than any other fishery in Canada. Our focus today is the reduction of licences under a fleet sustainability program as an effective way to increase the financial viability of fishing fleets.
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is also a key component of this program. One of the most impactful and effective methods to improve our multiple species fisheries is the permanent retirement of licences that allow those who want to exit the fishery the ability to do so in a dignified and planned manner.
In addition, a fleet sustainability program would reduce fuel consumption and the amount of gear in the water. This past summer has shown that conditions can change rapidly in our coastal ocean environments. Many times our fishery has been the subject of crisis management. We welcome the recent Atlantic fisheries fund that will assist in funding projects in technology, infrastructure, science, and marketing.
The PEIFA, in conjunction with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, has been one of the leading organizations in Atlantic Canada in fleet reductions. In the past five years, the P.E.I. fleet has retired 59 lobster licences, and over 44,000 traps have been removed from the water, resulting in increased catches for many harvesters and increased economic viability. Positive environmental impacts were also significant in the reduction of carbon footprints by having fewer boats make fewer trips while using less gear on the water.
The PEIFA and DFO program is an effective, proven, and implementation-ready program that can be applied to other species. However, to make a significant impact, hundreds of groundfish and tuna licences need to be retired over a much shorter period of time. This can only be achieved by an injection of additional funding to complement the financial resources that the PEIFA is now allocating towards this program. An overall contribution of $3 million towards the retirement of groundfish licences and $7.5 million towards the retirement of tuna licences would have a significant and positive impact on these fisheries. A 50% reduction in 872 groundfish and 360 tuna licences would achieve the impact that is required to put these fisheries in line with available quota.
From an environmental perspective, fuel reductions in tuna alone would be as follows. On average, 200 to 400 litres of fuel are consumed on an average trip. The reduction of 180 trips per year would result in reduced fuel consumption of between 36,000 to 72,000 litres annually based on each boat making one trip to catch fish. A more realistic projection would be three to five trips per boat, which would reduce fuel by between 108,000 and 360,000 litres per year.
All active licences have been issued by the federal government, and we are seeking the assistance of the federal government to help bring back balance to these targeted fisheries. This type of streamlining has taken place in the past in other sectors, such as tobacco and hog production in the agricultural sector.
In summation, the Canadian inshore fleet is a key component of both provincial and national export-growth strategies. With increased efficiency and economic viability of the inshore fleet on P.E.I., these growth strategies would be attainable for Prince Edward Island, the federal government, and the people of Canada.
Thank you.