Fisheries Committee on May 14th, 2015

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

I call this meeting to order.

I'd like to thank our guests for taking the time to meet with our committee today to talk about the issues in Prince Edward Island. As you are probably well aware, we're studying recreational fisheries in Canada. As I'm sure the clerk has already advised you, we generally allow about 10 minutes for opening comments and remarks. Then we have a fairly tight time constraint when it comes to questions and answers. So I'd ask you to try to keep your answers as concise as possible so members can get in as many questions as possible.

Having said all that, I really appreciate your taking the time to be here, and I'll turn the floor over to you now, Mr. MacPherson, if you want to make your opening comments.

[Ian MacPherson, Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association]

Thanks very much, Mr. Chairman. At the outset, I'd like to mention to you and to the committee that we're expecting our president, Mr. Avery, to be here momentarily. Unfortunately, I don't know that Mr. Drake will make it today. As you know, we're in the middle of lobster season and there have been some challenges out on the water. But certainly, Mr. Jenkins is well versed on the issues that I'll speak to today, and I hope Mr. Avery will be here shortly.

If I may continue, Mr. Chair, my name is Ian MacPherson and I'm the executive director of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association. My role this afternoon will be to give an overview of our organization and briefly introduce our witnesses.

The Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association would like to take this opportunity to thank the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans for the opportunity to participate in today's session. The PEIFA represents over 1,260 fishers on Prince Edward Island. The main species that we harvest are lobster, tuna, herring and mackerel. There are currently 351 tuna licence holders on P.E.I., and 33 fishers are engaged in the tuna charter fishery. All fishers engaged in the tuna charter business are commercial licence holders.

Our organization comprises six local organizations that are governed by their own executive members. Two members, typically the president and the vice-president, sit on the PEIFA board of directors. The PEIFA board consists of 12 members and our president. This structure creates an organization that has island wide participation and provides equal representation around the decision-making table.

Attending today, we have PEIFA president Craig Avery, whom I hope will be here in a few moments, and our vice-president Mr. Bobby Jenkins. These gentlemen are both active fishers and very involved with the activities of the PEIFA. Our president, Mr. Avery, has been fishing for 38 years, and has been on the PEIFA executive for 20 years as treasurer and more recently as association president. He was involved with the recreational tuna fishery in the very early days of the industry and is very active in the many files that the PEIFA deals with as a significant fishing organization in Atlantic Canada.

PEIFA vice-president Bobby Jenkins has been fishing for 40 years and fishing tuna since 1979. He has also served on the PEIFA board of directors for 20 years. In addition, Mr. Jenkins has been very involved with our tuna advisory committee over the last 15 years. Collectively, these gentlemen have over 70 years of fishing experience and an in-depth understanding of both the commercial and recreational tuna fisheries.

In 2010, the PEIFA headed up a major scientific project that featured the tagging of over 50 bluefin tuna. This project featured sophisticated satellite pop-up tags, which not only showed the migration patterns of the fish but also provided significant data on the mortality rates of tuna that have been caught and released. The information obtained was vital in setting new catch-and-release standards for the tuna charter industry.

In closing, I would like to mention a phrase that is frequently used in the numerous tuna meetings that take place over the course of the year regarding the commercial and recreational tuna fisheries. “The fish must win,” is a statement that underscores the desire and commitment of the many captains on Prince Edward Island to keep our commercial and recreational fisheries sustainable and financially viable.

This concludes our opening remarks, Mr. Chairman, and I respectfully turn these proceedings back to you for questions from the committee and discussion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you very much, Mr. MacPherson.

We are going to start with a 10-minute round of questions. We'll go to Mr. Chisholm first.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Mr. MacPherson. Mr. Jenkins, it's good to see you and hear from you.

Before I move to questions, I am going to read into the record a notice of motion, for the committee's benefit. It is as follows:

That the Committee undertake a one day study into British Columbia’s Herring Fishery and invite representatives from the Heiltsuk First Nation to appear before the Committee.

Sorry about that, gentlemen, but I needed to take every opportunity to get some of the committee's business done, especially when we are cut off like this.

Mr. MacPherson, you mentioned 33 commercial licence-holders in the tuna fishery. Can you give us an example of the kind of economic benefit P.E.I. realizes as a result of this fishery?

[Ian MacPherson]

Actually, there are 351 commercial licences and 33 charter businesses.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Right.

[Ian MacPherson]

In terms of financial benefit, it is a fairly new industry. It's an expanding industry. I don't have the exact numbers at my fingertips here this afternoon. However, one of the reasons the PEIFA did the study was not only to update the science, because there was a great lack of science around the catch-and-release fishery, but also to look at the opportunities that may exist as alternatives, as an option for people.

It's not suited for everyone, but certainly there are opportunities, and there are people who are well-suited to it. If it's done properly, it gives a business opportunity and another revenue stream.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

When you say that there are 33 commercial licence-holders, is that one licence per boat? What is the average size of boats, and what does it cost to fit up a vessel for this industry?

[Ian MacPherson]

For that particular point, I am going to turn it over to Mr. Jenkins.

I just wanted to confirm that there are 351 commercial licences. There are 33 charter businesses. You said “commercial”, I believe. Charter businesses are what I believe you are referring to.

In terms of the outfitting costs, I would like to defer to Mr. Jenkins on that.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Okay. Thanks.

[Bobby Jenkins, Vice-President, Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association]

Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I'd like to respond to the member.

Mr. Chairman, as far as I know, as close as I could come to gearing up a boat for the catch-and-release fishery, for charter.... Depending on how far the individual captain would like to go, you could outfit a boat for $15,000, or you could go as high as $70,000. The bottom line is that it's going to cost somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000 to gear up that boat for charter.

To respond to the other question, about the economic spinoffs and stuff like that, I am not sure what it would be for catch and release, but the commercial fishery last year brought in $8.5 million. The landed value of P.E.I.'s bluefin tuna catch was over $8 million.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you.

[Bobby Jenkins]

The third-party catch-and-release guys will be part of that because, you have to remember, they are commercial fishermen first, and then they are catch and release.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Right. I get your point.

Mr. MacPherson, you were talking about the work that is being done to collect mortality data, and other scientific research that is being done that affects the tuna fishery. Is all of this work done through DFO? Could you explain who is in charge of that?

[Ian MacPherson]

Although it was headed up by the PEIFA, it was a really good joint project. DFO was one of our partners, and ACOA provided some funding for that because it involved renting boats and tagging. The cost of these satellite pop-up tags was quite significant, and that was a contribution by DFO, or one they assisted in.

It was information that involved a number of organizations. The Province of P.E.I. also had a contribution in it, and the information was shared with all those groups.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Does your association participate in the international discussions around management of the stock? I guess that would be through NAFO.

[Ian MacPherson]

Or ICCAT, yes.

Unfortunately, Mr. Drake wasn't able to attend today, as I mentioned earlier. Mr. Drake is generally our representative at those meetings, and we attend them on an annual basis, or whenever they're called.

So, certainly we're very in tune with what's going on out there, and we take a lot of pride in our fishery and the sustainability of it. Obviously we're very involved with what's happening on a worldwide scale.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Have you seen changes in the stocks over the past couple of years?

[Ian MacPherson]

Well, I'll ask Mr. Jenkins to answer that, because he's the gentleman who's out on the water and who has a long history in the industry.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Sure. Thank you.

[Bobby Jenkins]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Could you rephrase that question? What kinds of differences do you want me to answer to?

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Well, I guess I'm just wondering about the number of fish that are around, the size of the stock. I remember reading some materials about the last meetings of ICCAT, and some issues about whether the quota would be increased or should be increased or not. So I just wondered if you could give me some sense of what it's like there on the water for P.E.I. fishermen.

[Bobby Jenkins]

We believe there's an abundance of stock here now. We've seen a big increase in the past 10 years. When our chairperson, Ken Drake, and the commissioner, Doug Fraser, go to ICCAT, that's all reported at the ICCAT meetings. Scientists are doing their thing, as far as what the stock is. But fishermen on P.E.I. believe, as a whole, that the stock has increased, yes.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Gentlemen, could you give me any suggestions about how DFO could be of more assistance in the management of the prosecution of the tuna fishery off P.E.I.?

[Bobby Jenkins]

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'll respond to the member's question. We covered two big tuna meetings on P.E.I. during the past winter. What we heard from our membership on P.E.I. was that they wanted to see more DFO on-board coverage at sea, more boat checks, and more gear checks—especially in the catch-and-release fishery. As Mr. MacPherson indicated earlier, we want the fish to win, and that's the commercial side of this thing, as well as the C and R side of it.

DFO can play a big role in this fishery, whether it be commercial or C and R. But they have to get out there, they have to do boat checks, and they have to see what's going on.