Fisheries Committee on May 26th, 2015

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you very much, Mr. Sopuck.

Gentlemen, on behalf of the committee I'd like to thank you both for taking the time today to meet with committee members, to share your views, and to answer committee members' questions. It certainly was appreciated and we certainly want to thank you for taking the time today.

We'll suspend for a few moments while we set up for our next witnesses.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

I call this meeting back to order.

I'd like to thank our guests for joining us here today and taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet with the committee. No doubt you're aware that we're studying recreational fisheries in Canada and that we certainly look forward to your comments. I'm assuming that the clerk has advised you that we allow about 10 minutes for presentations, remarks, and comments from an organization and then we move into committee members' questions and answers. On that I'd ask you try to keep your responses as concise as possible as members are constrained by time limits.

On that note, Mr. Hambrook, I believe that you're going to speak first on behalf of the Miramichi Salmon Association, and that you, Mr. LeBlanc, are going to follow Mr. Hambrook on behalf of the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council. Is that correct? Can you hear me all right?

[Brian Moore, Vice-Chairman, Miramichi Salmon Association Inc.]

Not exactly.

It's Brian Moore here. I was going to make the introductions, okay?

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Certainly, go ahead.

[Brian Moore]

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, and committee members.

Thank you very much for this opportunity to present our remarks. My name is Brian Moore and I'm vice-chair of the Miramichi Salmon Association from Saint John. With me today is Mark Hambrook, president and senior biologist of the MSA. We also have Bud Bird, chairman emeritus of the MSA. Bud served as Minister of Natural Resources for the Province of New Brunswick during his time as an MLA in Fredericton, and he has also served as an MP for Fredericton, and at this time he's the Canadian commissioner to NASCO. He was also a member of your committee at one time.

We also have David LeBlanc, and David is from the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council Inc. I think first we're going to have Bud speak, if that's okay, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

That's fine, but please try to remember that we have some time constraints here as well. Any member there who wants to speak, they're more than free to speak please.

[J.W. Bird, Chairman Emeritus, Miramichi Salmon Association Inc.]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I've been asked to make an opening statement on behalf of the Miramichi Salmon Association. With my submission I have submitted three graphs and a page of statistics, which apparently you do not have yet, but I would refer them to you for future reference.

The first one, graph 1, shows the decline of large sea-winter salmon coming to North America from their feeding grounds around Greenland—these are primarily the large female spawners bearing the eggs of the next generation—from 1970, when there was a population of 900,000 of those fish coming to North America, to today. In recent years the figure has been more or less 100,000, representing a reduction of almost 90%.

The second graph will show you those same populations of both large and small fish in the same period. That population peaked at 1.8 million total fish in 1974, declining to fewer than 600,000 in 2009, a reduction of more than 65% in that period.

With respect to the Miramichi River itself, the small graph 3a will show you those populations, and the statistical sheet 3b will show you the numbers. Those numbers can't be compared with the total North American numbers, because until 1984 there was a large commercial fishery in the maritime provinces. That fishery continued in Newfoundland until 1992. So a direct comparison is not possible, but I would refer you to the river statistics from about 1992, when in the Miramichi the run reduced from a total of almost 190,000 fish in 1992 to 17,744 returning fish in 2014, last year. That is the lowest salmon run to the Miramichi in history.

The Atlantic salmon has long been a cultural, economic, and environmental symbol for Atlantic Canadians and has been throughout history very important to sustaining the lives of our settlers, both as food and in the olden days as a commercial commodity to barter for other essential goods.

During those early times, wooden ships were constructed from pristine forests and sent back to Europe, with the first cargo usually being a load of salted salmon. In subsequent decades, Atlantic salmon stocks have been in serious decline throughout North America and have not recovered to their previous high levels, despite reduced consumption and increased conservation efforts.

The salmon's range has also been reduced. The salmon is now on the endangered species list in the United States, in the Bay of Fundy, and along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Atlantic salmon stocks in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence have also been proposed for the endangered list recently.

Stocks in the Atlantic region are now at record lows, prompting the federal government this year to introduce catch-and-release angling only in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia for the 2015 season.

The Miramichi River has long been the largest producer of Atlantic salmon stocks in North America and one of the best salmon rivers in the world. There are no dams in the watershed, very little agriculture, no operating mines, and no large polluters, so it has had a natural environmental setting to become as good a river as it has become. The watershed is sparsely populated and is mostly forested land, so water quality is good. If salmon cannot survive here on the Miramichi, then there seems little hope for other rivers that have so many additional and adverse environmental impacts. But even here on the Miramichi our climate is changing, and there are fundamental actions that must be taken to sustain and improve the productive spawning process.

We believe the major problems are primarily in the ocean, but meanwhile we need a comprehensive recovery strategy to protect and nurture our in-river populations and ensure that new generations of smolts are consistently going each year to the sea. Until the mystery of salmon mortality in the ocean can be solved, the battles need to be waged on the Miramichi, the Restigouche, and other spawning rivers where the chances for success are at the highest level.

The Miramichi Salmon Association, formed 62 years ago to be a voice for the preservation of the Atlantic salmon, has over time been very effective in raising that voice for conservation, a voice that resulted quite directly in the closure of the commercial fishery in the Maritimes in 1984. As well, the MSA has consistently raised funds to assist DFO in research, participating with universities and other non-profits in similar studies, and in 1997 acquiring from DFO Canada's oldest hatchery, at South Esk. We have assumed responsibility to help sustain stocks of wild salmon in the Miramichi watershed since that time. Today the MSA spends about $1 million annually on its conservation mission.

However, there is great frustration among conservationists everywhere while salmon stocks continue to decline. With returns in 2014 the lowest in history, the MSA joined forces last fall with the Atlantic Salmon Federation to call on the Government of Canada for an action plan to save the wild Atlantic salmon. Subsequently, in 2015 the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans the Hon. Gail Shea appointed a ministerial advisory committee to deeply examine the status of the wild salmon in eastern Canada and to provide her with advice on actions needed to reverse the downward spiral of salmon abundance that has been experienced over the past 50 years.

While the Atlantic salmon has long been respected for its cultural and environmental values, the threat of its demise also poses very significant economic losses. A report by consultants Gardner Pinfold on the value of recreational fishing for wild Atlantic salmon estimates an employment potential of 3,316 full-time-equivalent jobs annually and more than $128 million in spending throughout the salmon's range in North America. For the Miramichi River alone, this means 637 full-time-equivalent jobs and spending of more than $20 million each year. ln the hard-pressed current circumstances of rural New Brunswick, this would easily equate to two new manufacturing plants with a capacity to each employ more than 300 people. Imagine what a powerful economic factor that is indeed.

ln addition to the recently appointed ministerial advisory committee, which has now finished its hearings and is preparing its recommendations to DFO, a voluntary coalition here in New Brunswick has come together among conservation groups, large industrials, and university scientists to help further identify issues and propose solutions that will complement future government actions.

lt is important to note that while the federal government must take the lead to bring recovery of wild Atlantic salmon stocks, you in Parliament are not alone. There are highly motivated partners with the expertise, dedication, and resources to support and join the federal government in such a wild Atlantic salmon recovery plan. We in the Miramichi Salmon Association are strong partners in that coalition and we are willing to work with all concerned to save this precious resource.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you, Mr. Bird.

Mr. LeBlanc, are there any further comments from the group?

[David LeBlanc, Executive Director, Restigouche River Watershed Management Council Inc.]

Yes, I will speak on behalf of the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council.

First of all, I'd like to present our organization. The Restigouche River Watershed Management Council is an interprovincial committee that has a mission to work with different partners to protect and conserve the Atlantic salmon in the Restigouche watershed, located in Quebec and New Brunswick—50% in each province. This includes five major rivers: the Matapédia River and the Patapédia River in Quebec, the Kedgwick, Little Main Restigouche, and Upsalquitch in New Brunswick.

There is different management concerning the recreational fisheries for Atlantic salmon, mainly privately operated fishing camps with private waters and fishing leases or licences. Also, mainly in Quebec, there are public waters with a lottery system, and also open water with daily access fees.

Concerning the private fishing camps, there are in total 23 fishing camps on these rivers. As an example, a lease paid to the Province of New Brunswick costs approximately $541,000 every year for a 10-year lease. An abstract of a study on the economic contribution of salmon fishing camps along the Restigouche River in eastern Canada done by the University of New Brunswick and Dr. Van Lantz in 2010 shows that in 2009, camps directly contributed over $10 million in expenditures, including $5 million in wages, $4.1 million on goods and services, and $1.2 million in property taxes and government licences. This represents 346 part-time-equivalent jobs. Indirect or spinoff contributions amount to an additional $1.8 million in output and $1.2 million in wages, representing another 189 jobs. It is largest of any sector in these rural communities. It could also contribute more since most have not been operating at full capacity. Sixty-five per cent of the economic impact is in New Brunswick. In total, it represents $11.8 million and 535 jobs.

I just want to highlight that these camps are located in rural communities that have a population of approximately 7,800. These jobs are mainly for guides, cooks, managers, housekeepers, and wardens.

Concerning the Quebec public waters, there is a mix of open water with daily access fees, and also a lottery system for prime waters. It is managed by a non-profit organization located in Causapscal in the Matapédia Valley. This organization manages the Matapédia, the Patapédia, and Causapscal rivers. Per year their revenues from access and daily fees are $1.15 million, which represents 43 seasonal jobs, plus five permanent employees. In addition, 20 self-employed, independent guides have a commercial licence on these waters.

So salmon angling is, for the Restigouche watershed area, a major contributor to the economy for the little villages from the northern New Brunswick Saint-Quentin/Kedgwick area and the Matapédia Valley.

Thank you for giving us the chance to speak on behalf of the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council. I'm open to any questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you very much, gentlemen.

We'll move to questions from members. We'll start with Monsieur Lapointe.

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Good afternoon, gentlemen.

Everyone is concerned to see that the Atlantic salmon really is below the conservation threshold in most of the rivers in eastern Canada. Last March, Mr. LeBlanc made statements in an interview with the newspaper Acadie Nouvelle. He talked about conservation levels that are well below what we are hoping for. Losing that resource would have a major economic impact. Just now, Mr. LeBlanc talked about an impact of more than $20 million for fishing camps alone.

I heard a comment earlier that personally upset me greatly. Charles Cusson said that Canada’s wild Atlantic salmon conservation policy has never had appropriate funding and has not been enforced.

Mr. Bird rightly said that he wanted a Canadian action plan to be established. As our chair said, we do not have a lot of time to go over this issue. So I am going to share with you the most significant problems that have consistently been raised in the preceding testimony. I would like to know how you would establish a priority for these difficulties, in order to come up with a Canadian action plan that will perhaps allow us to save the Atlantic salmon.

We are constantly being told that, in order to have the data we need to be able to work on each of the salmon rivers, we must more than double the research efforts of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

What are your impressions on that?

Then, there is a lack of any real control on invasive species. We know about ballast water in the gulf, but there are also recreational American boats that go through customs without being checked. We have been told a number of times that this can bring in invasive species.

Does that difficulty exist in the east, in New Brunswick?

Today, Mr. Cusson brought up another important point, namely the lack of effort on the part of Canadian diplomacy to make it possible for France, because of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, to become a member of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization.

Those are all major problems. In the Canadian action plan that we say we want, do all those problems have to be solved? Alternatively, which, in your view, should be solved as a priority and using which resources?

Perhaps we could start with Mr. LeBlanc and then move to Mr. Bird.

[David LeBlanc]

Thank you for the question. Our recommendation related to the actual situation of the salmon in the Restigouche watershed area.

We have a lot of concerns related to the protection of the salmon and protection by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans officers. As an example, I would say that in all of the approximately 5,000 square kilometres in New Brunswick, there are only two Fisheries and Oceans officers, and they are located outside the area, in Grand Falls in the Saint John Valley, about an hour and a half from our rivers.

With all the cutbacks and closures—an example is the Kedgwick regional Fisheries and Oceans protection office three years ago—there is a lack of protection. So protection is a concern because poaching is still ongoing in our watershed, and it's something that we need to address.

Concerning the—

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. LeBlanc, you are saying that, even before getting to the matter of the lack of research funding, we have to understand that the current level of protection is inadequate. That is what I understand from your comments. Is that correct?

[David LeBlanc]

Exactement. Yes, exactly. There is a lack of protection from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you.

[David LeBlanc]

Concerning predation, there is the increased population of grey seals that we are convinced is having an impact on the fish not coming back to the river. We also see harbour seals now in the Restigouche River. Last year we had a seal as far up as 125 kilometres from the head of tide. Predation by cormorants is also a concern in the Restigouche estuary. So predation is another issue that the salmon have to face for long-term conservation.

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you.

Mr. Bird, you mentioned the call for an action plan. What would be the first urgent steps that the federal government should take?

[J.W. Bird]

Well, the action plan that has been generally requested is first to establish limits on the angling harvest. Here in New Brunswick, for example, we are now totally a hook and release fishery. So there is no harvest of wild salmon at all. We hope that other provinces—Newfoundland and Quebec—will take similar action. We have called on the federal government to introduce a predatory control program with respect to striped bass in the Miramichi and grey seals, as my colleague has said, in the Restigouche and the Miramichi. We've called on the federal government to exercise new regulations with respect to gillnetting. Hopefully the day will come when gillnets can be abolished and trap nets can be used so that large fish can be released for spawning even in first nation fishing areas.

I think the main thrust of our recommendations is that the rivers must be protected and the spawning process must be preserved as we continue to work and find solutions to the mystery of mortality of salmon at sea. That requires a major international effort through organizations such as NASCO, of which Canada is a leading member.

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Bird, I understand that you use the word “mystery” to describe the problem of the loss of salmon stocks in the ocean. However, to the best of your understanding of the issue and to the best of your knowledge, are any solutions possible? It is not a total mystery, surely?

Mr. Cusson mentioned the problem with Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, which is not governed by the North Atlantic regulations. Do you see any possible priority solutions to solve the mysterious problem of the loss of so many ocean salmon stocks?

[J.W. Bird]

There have been major steps taken. In recent years there was a five-year program called SALSEA, conducted by NASCO organizations, in which Canada was a major player. We have to continue to do that kind of collaborative research, and that's ongoing.

With respect to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, we have to try to get France to engage Saint-Pierre and Miquelon as a member of NASCO. That has not happened yet. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon are really observers at NASCO and so there has been some difficulty in holding them to account for the harvest at Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and the Canadian delegation to NASCO is continuing to work on that objective.

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I would like to go back to another problem that Mr. Cusson noted, namely the lack of financial support for research. For example, tracking an adult salmon by satellite may cost Atlantic salmon research organizations $25,000.

It has been calculated that current funding represents only about 60% of what it was 10 or 15 years ago. What are your observations on that? Should a decision to reinvest in research be made as soon as possible? If so, which direction should we take in order to get the best possible results?

[Mark Hambrook, President, Miramichi Salmon Association Inc.]

Certainly the Miramichi Salmon Association has partnered with the Atlantic Salmon Federation on some of this research, tracking salmon out into the ocean with satellite transmitters on them. It's very expensive and we would like to see the federal government participate in this research. So far it has been done entirely by the non-profit sector, and we're able to raise that money.

So we need the federal government to work with us as a partner. We're not asking the government to fund everything, but we need the federal government to be more of a partner with the non-profit sector to achieve the goals that we're all looking for, and that's to find out what's happening to the salmon in the ocean.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you very much, Monsieur Lapointe.

Mr. Sopuck.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB]

Thanks.

Thank you to our witnesses.

The Miramichi Salmon Association was on the task force that the minister struck recently. Are you supportive of that process? Since you're on the task force, I would assume you would support the recommendations as well. Can you discuss your experiences on the task force?