Thank you very much.
Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for inviting me to be here today. I believe it's my second appearance before the House Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans to talk about important fisheries issues.
With me I have Claire Dansereau, the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans; Dave Balfour, the Senior Acting Assistant Deputy Minister; and Guy Beaupré, the Acting Associate Assistant Deputy Minister--quite a title.
As you know, I will be with you for a period of one hour. I believe my officials can stay longer than that, if you so wish. I will begin by giving a short statement.
First of all, I want to welcome the opportunity to outline why my department and our government support amendments to the 1978 Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, also known as the NAFO convention. These amendments are good for Canada and good for Canada's fishing industry, and I believe they deserve our support.
As you know, achieving sustainable and responsible fisheries is a complex challenge. Through foresight and hard work, Canada is now a leader in shaping global conservation efforts. We are collaborating with provincial governments, with industry, and with our international partners to heighten global awareness about the need to ensure conservation-based harvesting in all fisheries.
Our paramount objective is to curb overfishing. We want to ensure that sustainable fisheries are there for generations to come.
One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by taking part in a regional fisheries management organization, an RFMO such as the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, known as NAFO. It's clear that no single jurisdiction can succeed alone in stopping the practice of overfishing. NAFO and other organizations like it offer a unique forum to influence others, assertively represent Canada's interests, and forge cooperative alliances that allow us to advance them.
We have achieved a remarkable degree of success over the last few years in managing our fisheries resources through these collaborative efforts.
In September my officials had a very productive meeting in Norway. They achieved important results for Canada. These include 11 closures in the NAFO regulatory area to protect corals and sponges from bottom fishing.
I would like to assure this committee that all decisions at this year's NAFO meeting were within scientific advice. These also include NAFO adopting Canadian proposals for strict bycatch provisions and other precautionary measures to ensure the reopenings of 3M cod on the Flemish Cap, outside of Canada's 200-mile limit, and redfish in division 3LN, which is on the southern Grand Banks, and also to ensure that they are carried out responsibly.
These reopenings are a significant milestone since they came a decade after these stocks were placed under moratorium. Canada, through its participation in NAFO, played a central role in enforcing the moratorium and fostering the recovery of these stocks.
For Greenland halibut, the total allowable catch was maintained at 16,000 tonnes for one year. This will be reviewed in 2010 with additional information. This fishery is worth $25 million to the Newfoundland economy.
These accomplishments build on many others in recent years. Canada has achieved great success in improving compliance of fishing vessels in the NAFO regulatory area, or NRA, which is outside of Canada's 200-mile limit.
In fact, since we formed the government in 2006, there have been fewer violations in the NAFO regulatory area in those four years combined than there were in 2005. This is largely due to greater enforcement and improvements to the monitoring, control, and surveillance measures adopted by NAFO in 2006.
Additional measures to further improve compliance were adopted at the 2009 NAFO meeting. There have been four serious infractions so far this year. All the vessels involved were recalled to port for additional inspections, as required by the NAFO conservation and enforcement measures. Fishery officers from my department observed these inspections. This demonstrates just how seriously NAFO contracting parties take the issue of illegal fishing on the high seas.
Through Canada's leadership, we are helping to turn NAFO into a model regional fisheries management organization. As a result of our efforts, some important straddling stock, such as yellowtail flounder, have fully recovered, and American plaice is showing signs of recovery. These fish are found both inside Canadian waters and on the high seas of NAFO's regulatory area.
Enhanced enforcement is only part of what we are accomplishing through participation in NAFO. Reform and modernization of regional fisheries management organizations like NAFO must continue so that today's challenges are met with modern solutions. That's why NAFO adopted amendments to its 1978 convention in 2007, amendments that I must emphasize are consistent with the United Nations Fisheries Agreement and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Mr. Chair, these changes were needed and welcomed by Canada. Most importantly, these changes recognize and respect Canada's sovereignty over its 200-mile limit.
Canada maintains control over its waters. No NAFO measures will be applied in Canadian waters unless Canada requests that they apply and unless Canada votes in favour of such action. This bears repeating, Mr. Chair. Canada's sovereignty is protected. There will be no NAFO measures within Canadian waters unless we ask for them and we vote for them, period. If and only if we see value in allowing foreign nations into our exclusive economic zone--in the case of a joint NAFO science expedition, for example--the project will be conducted under Canada's direction, supervision, and control. Make no mistake: we do, and we will continue, to assert Canada's interests and we will work to protect our assets. We will only agree to something if it's in the best interests of Canada and the stewardship of our resources.
So let me repeat: Canada maintains absolute control over its waters. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply ill informed and fear-mongering.
Let's also be clear about why Canada supports this new convention. First, under the old convention, any country could object to a NAFO decision and decide on a unilateral quota on its own and fish it without consequence. Under the amended convention, there are new objection procedures that require the objecting country to put alternative measures in place. There is also a dispute resolution mechanism to address such issues. These mechanisms, for the first time in NAFO's history, require all contracting parties to be held accountable for their actions.
Second, the amended convention emphasizes reaching consensus on decisions wherever possible. Only when consensus cannot be reached would a two-thirds majority voting system be used. This new voting system will help protect Canada's fishing quotas in NAFO. Any NAFO member that wishes to change the way NAFO allocates fish must obtain the support of eight of the 12 NAFO members instead of the seven that were needed before. This, in turn, protects Canada's quotas.
Under the original convention rules, NAFO's decisions were made through a simple majority vote. This often left the impression that there were only winners and losers in NAFO decisions. In some cases, it led to defiance of rules, unilateral quotas, and overfishing. These changes provide a decision-making process that better reflects the modern challenges facing NAFO members.
The successful management of fisheries in the northwest Atlantic outside our 200-mile limit requires international collaboration and is called for in international law. By bringing together decision-makers, fisheries managers, enforcement officers, and scientists, NAFO can develop effective conservation and management measures, and they can implement appropriate mechanisms to ensure compliance. I'm proud to say that Canada strongly supports these efforts and is a strong leader at the NAFO table.
As you know, Canadian industry and provincial governments, including Newfoundland and Labrador, were consulted extensively on the amended convention. They agreed that it protects Canada's interests and uses the most up-to-date decision-making and management practices. The amended convention has many advantages for Canada, because it represents a shift to an ecosystem-based approach to decision-making. This means that decisions take into account the complex interrelationships among marine species and their habitat. They also consider the impact of fishing gear on sensitive ocean habitat.
In keeping with this new approach, NAFO has led the way in recent years to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems in the regulatory area. In these times of global economic uncertainty, building fisheries that are both sustainable and economically prosperous is at the top of my department's agenda. This is why these amendments are so important. They help ensure the conservation and sustainable management of the stocks and ecosystems in the northwest Atlantic.
Working together under the NAFO banner, we have successfully engaged in a new cooperative approach to fisheries management. Our ultimate goal is to ensure sustainable fisheries through decisions based on sound scientific advice. We will continue to press for change through multilateral discussions and our strategic bilateral relations with like-minded fishing countries. When it comes to sustainable management of fisheries, Canada will always lead by example. That's why we strongly support changes to the NAFO convention.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
