Mr. Chairman, honourable MP Fabian Manning, honourable members of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, and fellow members of the harbour authority in the district of Avalon, it is both an honour and a privilege to speak to you today on the importance of the harbour authorities to our communities.
All of our community is rural and the vast majority depend on the sea to earn a living, whether they're on land or on sea. As the majority of our population is Irish Catholic and the church is an important part of our life, many believe that the wharf is just as sacred as the church.
There are six harbour authorities in St. Mary's Bay: Admirals Beach, Branch, O'Donnells, Riverhead, St. Mary's, and St. Shotts.
Admirals Beach is a designated landing port and has a wharf space for three vessels. It is not safe for winter berthage.
Branch is a designated landing port in which vessels must work the tides because of the small gut or river that runs out of the pond and can only accommodate small-draft vessels. It has wharf space for seven vessels and is suitable for winter berthage.
St. Shotts is on the headland of St. Mary's Bay, and since the moratorium has only been used while the index cod fishery is ongoing. Since the introduction of the crab fishery to the smaller 35-foot fleet, and with larger vessels, fishermen in this area use the harbours in the bay. St. Shotts is a landing port, which is not suitable for summer or winter berthage.
O'Donnells is a designated landing port and has wharf space for seven vessels and is safe for winter berthage as long as vessels are not doubled up. It also is the only port capable of handling the larger 65-foot vessels.
St. Mary's is a designated landing port. There is a strong undertow there, which makes it difficult to even leave boats there overnight during the summer.
Riverhead is a designated landing port, and after years of lobbying to have the only natural harbour in the bay declared a harbour authority, they succeeded a few years ago. It has wharf space for six vessels, with some floating docks that can accommodate more vessels during the fishing season. It is a safe harbour all year round.
There are approximately 70 vessels in the 35-foot to 65-foot vessel range in St. Mary's Bay, along with numerous speed boats. With the impending closure of the marine service centre in Admirals Beach, which some 20 to 30 vessels have called home during the winter for the last 25 years, and the influx of larger vessels into the crab fishery, there is going to be greater demand for the few safe ports in the harbours.
Even though I'm sure the harbour authorities are grateful for the dollars that have been spent in our area, I'm sure they all will agree that a lot more needs to be done to improve their harbours. For example, O'Donnells needs an L on the wharf to protect the harbour from westerly winds, plus about 300 feet of wharf space to accommodate extra boats, which would cost approximately $2 million.
Branch needs dredging done, extra wharf, and some armour stone and pavement, for an approximate cost of $1 million.
Riverhead needs dredging done in the pond and at the entrance to the wharf space around the pond, and it must be noted that once that is done, it is done for life. There is no winter sea that can cause a problem. The approximate cost is $2 million to $3 million.
Admirals Beach needs armour stone to protect the harbour and keep the beach from moving and filling in the harbour. It was dredged this last year. It also needs the water line extended so slipway and more wharf space can be accessed, for approximately $2 million.
St. Shotts lost most of its slipway in a storm a few years ago, and it hasn't been repaired yet.
St. Mary's is the newest harbour authority in our area, and it needs some sheathing on both sides of the wharf and an L on the outside end. The cost is close to $1 million.
As you can see, a lot has been done and a lot needs to be done. Over $8 million of work is needed in just the six harbour authorities. This doesn't include washroom facilities, which are mandatory for landing ports or launching facilities for smaller boats.
Lost in all of the bull talk of what's been done or what needs to be done is the fact that all of this has been done by volunteers all over this island. If volunteers at those harbour boards don't see some progress over a period of time, they may lose interest. I therefore call on all of you to do your utmost to see that all harbour authorities are brought up to a reasonable standard as soon as possible.
Thank you.