Fisheries Committee on June 5th, 2018

[Ken McDonald, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Thank you.

We've had a number of fishermen present to the committee over the past year or so. A couple of individuals presented in our last study on vessel regulations, which we have almost completed now. Some of their testimony gave a scathing report of the local DFO in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Since they have started fishing, a couple of these individuals seem to feel like they have been targeted by DFO with regard to the number of boardings by officials to inspect what they have in their holds and what they have been catching—the size and everything else. They feel they are being discriminated against because of the testimony they gave here before the committee.

Would the department please look at that? Can you comment on whether you think doing that is good value for your resources spent?

[Catherine Blewett]

I'm really surprised. I'm sorry about that correlation.

We do fisheries enforcement, and we do think that's an important part of our mandate. However, I'd be really shocked that there would be any sort of conclusion about reprisal. I don't think that's in our makeup.

Again, it's an important part of our mandate, particularly as we look at the prospect of a new fisheries act. We need to make sure we do have people available around the country to enforce our new mandate.

Sylvie, do you have any thoughts?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bernadette Jordan]

Thank you. That's the time.

We're now going to go to Mr. Donnelly for his five minutes, please.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

There's been a lot of discussion about Kinder Morgan lately. Has a risk assessment been done on the decision to purchase the Kinder Morgan pipeline as it relates to the impact of a diluted bitumen spill on the Pacific Ocean?

[Catherine Blewett]

Thank you very much for the question.

From our perspective, we look at our ability to do environmental response. We have not done a direct correlation with that. We do look at vessel traffic and any increase in vessel traffic. It's pretty interesting. We do look at, for example, the coast of British Columbia. I'm most familiar with it in the context of what we're doing for endangered species and preserving the southern resident killer whale. We look at and monitor how much vessel traffic there is. We also do that to make sure we're prepared in the context of spill response, so we would know—

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Just on the orcas, there's a 700-fold increase proposed. That's essentially a tanker per day increase. Our scientists are telling us that any additional noise for those southern resident killer whales is going to be a problem. Has there been a study to show what that increased traffic will do to those whales?

[Catherine Blewett]

With respect to the killer whales, we are proactively looking at measures to reduce vessel noise and increase access to foraging areas, and looking at measures to help us ensure that vessel traffic stays out of those critical habitat areas for the southern residents.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Turning back to the sustainable aquaculture program “in support of an improved regulatory system”, will funding from the sustainable aquaculture program be used to address the concerns raised in the 2018 spring report of the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development entitled “Salmon Farming”? She was very critical of the department on specifics to do with salmon farming on the west coast.

[Catherine Blewett]

For sure, the commissioner had some serious comments about aquaculture. We're quite focused on making sure we complete the assessments on key diseases. As I mentioned, we're working with the provinces to make sure we are lined up with their priorities, and we're looking at strengthening our enforcement on aquaculture facilities and making sure we are executing our obligations.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Okay, so the question was about funding, and I'm assuming your answer is a yes.

[Catherine Blewett]

It's a yes, sorry. I wanted to try to fill in every....

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Okay, yes, and the one thing I've been hearing from the province is that they have had a lack of involvement from the federal government in salmon farming on the west coast. They feel they're under attack and they have had no support. They feel they have 10% of the jurisdiction while the feds have 90% or an increased amount of jurisdiction, and they feel they've been taking 100% of the focus of what happened since Washington banned open-net farms in its state and first nations have occupied farms in British Columbia. The feds have been absent on this file.

Is there going to be increased support coming from the federal government to work with the province in the field in this area?

[Catherine Blewett]

As I mentioned, I was talking to my B.C. colleague last night. I met with him a couple of weeks ago. We're really engaged with them very often, and we're trying to be supportive and make sure we are on the ground and appropriately executing our role, and supporting the province where it is looking for that. I know that the provincial and federal ministers are talking—I actually think it might be today or tomorrow. We work really collaboratively. I have strong relationships, and again, when I met face to face with my colleague a couple of weeks ago, we talked about all the ways to come to a resolution on some of the aquaculture issues.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bernadette Jordan]

Thank you, Ms. Blewett.

We have time for one more round of five-minute questions, so we're going to go now to Mr. Morrissey, please, for five minutes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Thank you, Chair.

My first question is to the deputy minister.

Madam Deputy Minister, the whole issue around surf clams as it relates to a vessel is irrelevant given that nobody would acquire a vessel until they had confirmation they would indeed be able to fish the quota they were given. This vessel would cost what? It would cost millions of dollars to acquire, and whoever would have access to fish would have the ability to lease or to own the vessel to pursue their quota. Am I correct?

[Catherine Blewett]

For sure, prosecuting that resource is a significant undertaking, and the capital investment required would be significant.

You know, again, I can't speak to what individual proponents may or may not do—

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

No, I'm not interested in that, but they would have access.... They could choose to lease a vessel or acquire a vessel, could they not?

[Catherine Blewett]

In any proposal, however, a proponent would choose to do it, that's not—

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

But common business sense would tell you that you would only execute that after you were assured of the licence.

[Catherine Blewett]

Yes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

On the line of questioning related to “this proponent should have been deemed ineligible because it did not have a vessel”, that's an irrelevant fact.

[Catherine Blewett]

I thank you for the opportunity to reiterate and reinforce that. At the moment, the department has not issued an additional licence, so—

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

So why would you get a boat? Okay.

Next, given the reality of the whales in the gulf region, which is now an issue that will have to be dealt with, how much are you dedicating to the issue of ropeless trap markers for the crab fishery? Unless technology develops in that area, they're going to continue to have to shut significant areas to fishing.

[Catherine Blewett]

We're incredibly seized with making sure that we do the very best we can for conservation of the right whales. We think that the numbers we're seeing already do indicate a pretty significant shift: 75 is about one-sixth of the world's population of this species, unfortunately, so we're trying to do our very best.

We're very cognizant, by the way, just before I get to your question on the fixed gear and the traps, that the way in which Canada manages our response to ensuring the safety of these species will be noted internationally. It impacts our trade significantly. Through mechanisms that we have—for example, the Atlantic fish fund—we're encouraging, and in fact we're seeing, project proposals for exactly that kind of gear. I will skip over the technical terms, but they're important innovations that will allow, for instance, putting a trap into the water that can be monitored, followed, relocated by GPS, and brought to the surface without ropes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

If that were proven, it would allow this industry to continue to fish in areas that whales migrate to, would it?