Fisheries Committee on May 14th, 2015

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

Are you concerned that, as things stand, there's a lack of enforcement?

[Bobby Jenkins]

Whatever their boardings are this year, that number should be at least doubled. I think if you have something like a hundred and some for the P.E.I. fleet this year, that probably should be doubled. There should be 200.

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

Right.

[Bobby Jenkins]

That means more patrols at sea, more boats being checked— the whole nine yards.

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

Okay. I guess my time's just about running out.

Mr. MacPherson, you talked about the study you're doing in terms of mortality data. I gather that information is not in yet. Do you have any preliminary information in terms of what that data is telling you?

[Ian MacPherson]

Well, actually, that study was completed about three or maybe four years ago now.

[Bobby Jenkins]

In 2010.

[Ian MacPherson]

In 2010 it was completed. We did have the data, the order of magnitude, I believe the estimated mortality was up around 10% or 12%.

[Bobby Jenkins]

That's what they came up with.

[Ian MacPherson]

This was based on the lack of data from before, but my recollection was that the mortality DFO was using at the time was at double digits, and our study validated that mortality was significantly lower at 3.4%.

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

Gentlemen, thank you very much, and thanks again for appearing before the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Chisholm.

Mr. Kamp.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

Thank you, gentlemen, for appearing before us. I appreciate your contributions.

I love your slogan, “The fish must win”. We might have to use that.

We've talked almost entirely so far about tuna, and I want to ask some questions about that, too. Are there any other recreational species that are relevant in the P.E.I. situation?

[Ian MacPherson]

Certainly there is some tourism built around the mackerel and cod stocks, depending on the season, but that's what a lot of the seasonal charters do in a number of the harbours.

The tuna charters are more of a specialty. They will do those other species also, but a number of the organizations focus only on the tuna. But they can do both.

The structural costs in terms of what a day costs are quite a bit higher for tuna, which is mainly related to going out longer distances and more time being spent on the boat. However, they are both contributing industries to the P.E.I. economy.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

So I can understand how it works, you've said that the charter fishermen are commercial fishermen first. Do they fish commercially for tuna as well? Do they have a quota, however that system works, and then also fish part-time on a charter operation?

[Bobby Jenkins]

Do you want me to respond to that?

[Ian MacPherson]

Yes.

Mr. Jenkins will respond to that.

[Bobby Jenkins]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

When a boat is leased with a charter, it operates under what we call a section 52. When you're operating under a section-52 licence from DFO, you're not allowed to land fish commercially under that section-52 licence.

If you're going to catch your fish commercially, you have to hail out and tell your monitor, “I'm going out to get my fish today. I will not be participating in the charter” or I will not be participating under section 52.” That's how it's done.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

Thank you for that.

You said there are 33 charter licences. Is that a limited entry number, that there are only 33 to go around and it's a competitive process to acquire one of those?

I have a related question. Do commercial fishermen make more money fishing on a charter than they would fishing commercially, and would they prefer to get one of those licences, if they could?

[Ian MacPherson]

It's open to anyone. There has been a number of boats. I would say around 10 to 12 boats have been in the industry for quite a few years and built up those businesses. But I guess, as with anything, we're seeing fishers look at different streams or potential revenue streams. We have seen an increase over the last few years, up to the 33 that Mr. Jenkins alluded, up from from probably 10 or 12 five years ago.

Some people are feeling there's a future in that and that it's worth the investment of upgrading their boats and adding the additional equipment. Perhaps some of that, too, is due to social media and the declining costs of promoting businesses and things like that in recent years. I would say it would be a mix of some of those factors.

To answer your original question, any commercial fisherman can go into the charter fleet, if—

[Bobby Jenkins]

Since we got it changed.

[Ian MacPherson]

I'd like Mr. Jenkins to clarify something here.

[Bobby Jenkins]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

On December 7, 2011, we received a letter from Keith Ashfield, the then Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

To answer your question, yes, it's open now. Any commercial licence-holder, if he wants to spend the money to gear up his boat and he has the necessary Transport Canada paperwork and stuff, to be allowed to take out charters, it's open to our commercial fleet right now.

On December 7, 2011, the door was nearly shut on that. For some odd reason, they were going to cap it at 20. The PEIFA fought all that winter and into the next spring to get it looked at again, so it was opened up after that.

It is open right now, and that's the way it should be. When we took the initiative to set up the program under C and R, it was for.... We didn't do it for a handful of guys. We did it on behalf of 351 licence-holders on P.E.I.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

Thank you for that.

[Bobby Jenkins]

That's PEIFA's stand on it.