Evidence of meeting #47 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pei.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
John Weston Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
That's great.
I'm going to share the rest of my time with my colleague, Ms. Davidson.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Thank you very much.
Welcome, gentlemen. Thank you very much for your presentation today.
My riding is in southwestern Ontario, so I come from a very different background when it comes to the fishing you've been talking about today. It has been a real education listening to you.
When I think of recreational fishing in this country, I think of having a fishing licence from the time I'm 18 until I'm 65, getting in my boat and going fishing on the Great Lakes or, if I want smaller waters, going to an inland lake or river. We buy a licence, we pay the licence fee to the provincial government, and we carry on our way and teach our families all about fishing. It's a culture that many of us have grown up with.
I don't hear that coming from you today. I don't hear about the small family getting out and fishing. It's more business oriented. Although you have alluded to the fact that your organization deals with the commercial fisheries, is there somebody who deals with these fisheries, or are there recreational fisheries inland so that the person who lives in P.E.I. can buy a licence and go fishing for mackerel or whatever? I don't know. What do you have that they could fish for?
12:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association
To answer your question, yes, there are. Generally, we have quite a significant freshwater trout fishery here, too. Those are very popular and family-focused.
I did mention earlier some of the charters that go out for mackerel and cod, if it's the proper season. Those charters tend to be very reasonably priced. Before I moved to P.E.I., I always took a number of my family on them because of the cost and the experience. I think one of the key things to remember is that it's important that the captains are involved, because it is the oceans and there are...even around P.E.I. we can get significant different weather systems and things like that. Of course, safety is paramount. Certainly, there are options out there for families, and that needs to be part of the mix as we move forward.
As I alluded to earlier, the cost to outfit a tuna boat and sometimes the distance to where the fish are and things like that make it a pricier option for a day of fishing.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rodney Weston
Thank you very much, Mrs. Davidson.
Gentlemen, on behalf of the committee I'd like to thank you for taking the time today to meet with us and to discuss the recreational fisheries in Prince Edward Island. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to answer our questions and to make remarks to this committee.
There being no further business, this committee stands adjourned.