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.