Fisheries Committee on June 2nd, 2015

[Walter Regan]

Yes, and we've been successful three times.

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

Excellent.

One of the things that the RFCPP does is it removes fish barriers from streams. I know in Quebec there were 43 projects approved, primarily to remove barriers to fish. I strongly encourage Nova Scotia to access this great program.

In terms of acid rain, you mentioned that the source was from the United States. What is the critical pH for salmon, and what do you want to raise the pH to, to make it optimal?

[Walter Regan]

We work at 5.5 and above, and some rivers are hitting a pH of 3 now. We need the rivers raised to 5.5 on an ongoing basis, 7 being perfect of course.

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

Three, that's almost vinegar. I didn't realize the situation was that dire.

In terms of the Atlantic salmon, Ms. Negus, previous testimony talked about open ocean survival as being the linchpin causing the rapid decline of Atlantic salmon, at least in the Miramichi area. Can you tell us what you know about open ocean survival of Nova Scotia-produced salmon?

[Heather Negus]

I think from the perspective of the Nova Scotia Salmon Association, our position is that we don't really know what's happening at sea. We know that in the inner Bay of Fundy we have a lot of aluminum issues and we know that those salmon are leaving and going out. What we feel that we need is more research resources to be able to tell us why that mortality is happening, because that's one of the pieces of the puzzle that we can't quite put our finger on at this juncture.

[Walter Regan]

DFO has to go back to sea to do more research. Also, as mentioned earlier, intercept the fisheries, both at Greenland.... St. Pierre and Miquelon does not even have a salmon river but they're allowed five tonnes, and those fish definitely would come to Nova Scotia. We need DFO, through NASCO, to actively lobby to curtail the at-sea mortality but to find out what's going on.

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

I couldn't agree with you more. It does infuriate me that Canada produces these salmon and other countries exploit them.

The issue of striped bass came up with Atlantic salmon many times when we met with the Miramichi Salmon Association. What we've done is we've increased the retention fishery for striped bass. What do you know about the effect of striped bass on Atlantic salmon smolts in the Bay of Fundy? Have the striped bass populations increased with the same intensity that they have off the Miramichi?

[Walter Regan]

First of all, the DFO restoration program to bring striped bass worked. We now have increased numbers of the striped bass, and that's wonderful. In a natural system, the number of striped bass and salmon would co-exist. But the numbers of salmon are so low that they're another extensive predator of smolts going in the sea. I believe through education, I believe through increased test efforts, monitoring by DFO—again, we need DFO at the table—that we can control this. Striped bass numbers are good, but most people do not pay for a licence to fish in salt water. We need that licence to increase revenue.

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

In terms of the Sackville River itself, you talked about poor water quality, Mr. Regan. What contributes to poor water quality in the Sackville River?

[Walter Regan]

There's acid rain. The second biggest pollutant is urbanization, particularly saltation and construction.

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

Is it also an agricultural watershed? I'm not familiar with the area. Are there any issues with agriculture and water quality that you're aware of?

[Walter Regan]

The biggest agriculture source on the watershed is horse farming. But the majority is urbanization and acid rain, which are wiping out the river.

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

You talked about habitat offsets. Just summarize for us again what, in an ideal world, you would recommend to the government in terms of what you would like to see in a habitat offsetting program

[Walter Regan]

I'll give you an example. If a contractor puts a culvert in a brook and it's 10 square metres, he will pay $400 times the length of the time the culvert in ground, so you're talking $40,000 per culvert, which would go to an offsetting bank credit fund. Then he's out of the way and Adopt a Stream would then take on responsibility to do the habitat work. It would be audited by DFO, but we did spend the $40,000 per culvert doing good in-river work. We need this money to do good work.

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

Let's just say that it was impossible to recreate habitat that was lost along a particular stream. Are you suggesting that the policy be expanded to allow offsite mitigation so we can mitigate that habitat loss someplace else?

[Walter Regan]

If I understand your question correctly, it's never been done in Nova Scotia that riparian damage has been reflected in an offsetting, for example, if you cut down a tree next to a bank. That's never been done. We use the 3:1 ratio, so if you destroy one square metre, you restore three square metres in making up quantity for quality. I believe this can be done. It is being done, but we need the funds. We need a bank, and all the developers would put into that bank. We start at $40 a square metre and then we negotiate up or down.

Heather, do you have any comments?

[Heather Negus]

No, I think that sums it up. Thank you.

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

I really appreciated your comprehensive testimony.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rodney Weston]

Thank you very much, Mr. Sopuck.

Mr. MacAulay.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Welcome, participants, to the committee. This is valuable information as Mr. Sopuck indicated.

I felt this study itself was vitally important. That's why I worked so hard to convince the government that this study needed to be completed. Finally, after a lot of arm-twisting, we got to the study.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

If they don't like to hear that, it's the truth. Sport fishery is a massive asset to the economy.

Now, you're telling me that for fishing in salt water there are no licence fees. I'd just like you both to elaborate on what should be done with the licensing. I would expect that you would agree that people should pay for a licence. I would like you to elaborate on whether licence fees should be even higher and whether everybody who fishes should pay for a licence and the fund should be directed to habitat restoration or whatever. I'd just like you to expand on that issue alone.

[Walter Regan]

I would like to see someone who goes and fishes for striped bass or mackerel from the shore on a recreational basis or from a small boat to pay a licence fee, $50 a year, $40 a year, plus a stamp on top of that. That money would then go to a habitat fund that we could draw upon to do good work. We're talking about millions of lost dollars, funds that would be directed to habitat restoration and science.

Heather.

[Heather Negus]

I would just add that currently we're doing that with our freshwater fishing licences. I think that the cost of the licences is fine; it's adequate. It's that levy we're getting that's going back into the restoration which is really benefiting the Adopt a Stream program and the work they're doing. I think we have a real missed opportunity here with the coastal fishing licences that could really help contribute to that.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

I thank you very much.

With regard to the acid rain issue, it costs a lot of money of course to lime the rivers. Has there been any improvement in the source? As you're fully aware, it's a global problem. I'd just like you to explain to the committee whether, if we continue to get acid rain, that will mean a lifetime of liming or how that works in order to get a proper pH level in the rivers?