Fisheries Committee on Feb. 25th, 2019

[The Chair, Mr. Ken McDonald (Avalon, Lib.)]

Good afternoon, everyone.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are studying the impact of the rapid increase of the striped bass in the Miramichi River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

We have some new members on the committee today. Well, they're not new, I suppose, but a little bit recycled to some degree. Back again on the Conservative side we have Robert Sopuck, who is no stranger to the committee, and Mr. Shipley, who has been here before as well. Welcome, gentlemen.

On the government side, we have Nathaniel Erskine-Smith joining us, I think, for the first time. I understand that he's a specialist on the striped bass issue, so we'll probably be turning to him for some insight later during the meeting.

I will remind everyone that we'll hear the witnesses on the striped bass issue for the first hour. The second hour will be in camera for committee business.

We have with us today, in person, Mr. Jeff Wilson, co-host and founder of the Miramichi Striper Cup. Welcome, sir. By video conference, we have Martin Mallet, executive director of the Maritime Fishermen's Union. Welcome, sir.

We'll start with your presentations first.

Mr. Mallet, we'll go to you first, seeing as you're by video conference, in case there's any trouble. You have seven minutes or less, sir.

[Martin Mallet, Executive Director, Maritime Fishermen's Union]

Can I give my presentation in French?

[The Chair]

Yes.

[Martin Mallet]

Okay.

Do you hear me now?

[The Chair]

Go ahead when you're ready, sir.

[Martin Mallet]

It's probably going to be less than seven minutes.

Thank you for inviting me to testify once more before the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. I was happy to accept. I would have liked to be there in person, but the weather and snow in the Moncton area prevented it.

As the Chair mentioned, I am the executive director of the Maritime Fishermen's Union, which has existed for over 40 years. We represent about 1,300 inshore fishermen from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, who fish many species, the main ones being lobster, herring, alewife and rainbow smelt. During my presentation, I will come back to the concerns that we have about striped bass.

It is clear that the striped bass population and spawning stock—the subject of your study—have seen a radical increase over the last 10 years. We have observed it in person, and our fishers have shared with us their concerns about this increase since it started in 2012 or 2013.

Recent Fisheries and Oceans Canada studies show that striped bass is not a significant predator of lobster, the main species that we fish. Nonetheless, our association is asking that the studies continue in order to reassure us that striped bass will not eventually become a problem for the resource that we harvest.

However, our alewife and rainbow smelt fishermen, mostly in the Miramichi area, where we have about 50 fishing licenses, according to the calculations I did today, tell us that striped bass is eating alewife as well as filling nets. It is becoming a problem for that fishery, because the nets are full of striped bass.

Nevertheless, if we rely on the most recent stock assessments done by the department, which go back just a few weeks or a few months, we are told that the spawning bass biomass has been declining significantly for two years, going from a population of almost one million fish to about 300,000. For our association and for me personally, this leads us to realize that the growth of this species was temporary, and that scientific studies must continue on the subject to try and understand what is going on.

To come back to lobster fishing, our inshore fisherman might be interested in being able to fish striped bass as a secondary or accessory catch, in order to use it as bait or to sell it commercially. However, recent stock assessments of the species lead to the conclusion that it would not be reasonable to pursue the idea, at least not in the short term, next year, for example.

Why has the striped bass population seen such a decline recently? One possible answer would be the difficult winters that we have experienced since 2017. Again this year, it will be interesting to see the impact of the current winter on the species' population. It started very early, and ice started to form in Miramichi Bay in November, which is earlier than over the last 10 years. The early formation and increased thickness of the ice cover could have contributed to the decline in the striped bass spawning stock over the last two or three years.

Essentially, the message is to ask the department to continue its research on the species to better understand it. It presents a commercial opportunity for our fishers, but the most recent decline in its population does not allow us to recommend commercial fishing of striped bass at the moment.

That brings me to the end of my presentation. I would be happy to answer your questions in English or in French.

[The Chair]

Thank you, Mr. Mallet.

We'll go now to Mr. Wilson for seven minutes or less, please.

[Jeff Wilson, Co-host and Founder, Miramichi Striper Cup]

Thank you, first of all.

Just as a little background, I've been a 30-year competitive bass angler and an avid promoter and organizer of bass events in the Maritimes, promoting the benefits of such in the recreational fishery and what they bring to the region.

I also sit as a member of the eastern advisory committee for DFO. I've spent a fair amount of time studying the science and watching the return of the natural striped bass population.

It's important to add context to this study. This fish is not an invasive species of any nature. There is historical evidence of a commercial fishery harvest of 10 tonnes to 47 tonnes per year of striped bass, so there's a lot of misinformation in the media and other organizations about that.

The first thing for me was to bring the recreational opportunity, which is far larger an economic boom to the province of New Brunswick than any commercial fishery ever will be. This population is the most northern population and is susceptible to huge natural fluctuations like those we saw last year. This happened in 1996 as well, and it happened in the forties and also in 1913. We just saw the exact same thing happen in New Jersey last year where two-thirds of the population disappeared. It's really a capacity issue relative to the alewife, smelt and those sorts of things as food sources to all fish in the river system and in the ocean.

From my point of view and that of the Striper Cup, I'm going to provide a lot of information. The economic impact in six days in one spring is about $3.8 million recreationally. We'd certainly like to see a commissioned economic study on the gulf fishery—the complete gulf fishery from Labrador and Quebec all the way to P.E.I. and Cape Breton. We've seen a huge increase, an explosion in recreational fisheries for families and kids. In the Striper Cup alone, we have 350 kids. We have a family division. This has created a huge boon for the population, not for commercial but for recreational.

I had brought my worry to the eastern advisory board last year, saying that we would see a decrease in the population, and similar to 1995, in one year we lost over two-thirds of the population, the same as we did last year. If we lose two-thirds this year, then we're again down to an endangered species level. The key here is to maintain a school level at a level of about 300,000 to 350,000, so it can absorb a natural phenomenon, and then also have some recreational return as well to the population.

Recognizing the indigenous rights to first access, we suggested that they reduce that to drive the price and margin up—limited effort and a higher volume of return on investment. The sustainability or the scaling up of a commercial fishery to the numbers would make it viable. This population will never sustain that over a long period of time. Like any good marketing person, you increase the demand and increase the price by limiting the access to the actual product. That will give you sustainability over time.

We have a lot of groups, including the striped bass research team at Acadia University, which has worked with us and the University of New Brunswick. I've provided on my USB stick a number of diet studies that actually prove that the species is not having an impact on the salmon any more than it has before and that it's less than 2%. We have a lot of other factors that have to be taken into consideration, including the fact that a lot of biologists will always say that you never manage one over another.

I'm here. I've given some points of interest for the members. I'm happy to take questions. I tried to keep my comments under seven minutes, but I'm available any time.

If I can, Mr. Chair, at any time, I certainly want to get a picture of our Striper Cup jersey here with all the members. We have about 42,000 followers online, and I'm sure everybody would enjoy seeing a nice picture of the members all looking after our fishery here in Ottawa.

[The Chair]

Thank you, Mr. Wilson.

For the questioning, we'll first go to the government side for seven minutes or less.

Mr. Finnigan, please.

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd certainly like to welcome today both Mr. Wilson, whom I know very well, and Monsieur Mallet.

Welcome to all of you.

I also want to thank the members of the committee for allowing me to bring this study forward. It affects my area more, and the gulf, but I think it's a study that certainly can be related to other regions. We're looking at the predators and at how we manage them. I brought forward this study because there's been a lot of concern from the Miramichi area, from stakeholders who have expressed to me concern about the rapid increase of striped bass and the consequence for predominantly the Atlantic salmon population—although it does, as Mr. Mallet mentioned, affect other species.

On the other hand, as Mr. Wilson said, it was an exciting weekend when we had the Striper Cup. I was on the leading vessel when we gave the go-ahead. It was an awesome spectacle, with a couple of hundred boats ready to go and get the biggest striped bass on the river.

Mr. Wilson, you talked in your opening statement about the tournament. It started in 2014 or 2015, I guess, or somewhere around then.

[Jeff Wilson]

Yes.

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

At the time, the population was estimated to be roughly 300,000.

[Jeff Wilson]

Yes, it was about 300,000 at the time. I had been fishing on the river for about five years at that point, and I couldn't believe I was the only one on the river enjoying this. I felt it was an opportunity to bring a lot of attention and economic impact to the city of Miramichi. We now average 150 to 200 boats a day in May. It's driving hotel and restaurant and boat sales.

On my USB I have provided one narrative of the economic impact. It shows that we brought in about $3.8 million just during the Striper Cup. The cup itself was there to promote the fishery, which has now taken off for the whole month of May, during a shoulder month of tourism for us.

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

When you think about the interest in coming to Miramichi to participate in the Striper Cup, what do you think would be the lowest threshold?

[Jeff Wilson]

Well, I'm concerned that we might have met it quickly, around the 300,000-fish level. You have to remember that we're talking about a spawning fish. We've done a great job, and I commend DFO for its plan and effort to bring this fish back. A slot limit protects your big breeders. That protects them against predation and of course also poaching, which has become very prevalent now that we've marketized this product. If you get that slot limit, that protects the fishery. That's the bulk of the young of the year, and the big females are there.

I brought Fish'n Canada down to do a show. It became their number one show of all time for a visual. I brought Fins & Skins down. We had Wayne Gretzky down; again, just outstanding. This fishery has taken New Brunswick to the level of sport fishing that I've been involved with—Mercury, Bass Pro, all these people—for many, many years. I dropped in yesterday to the Ottawa Boat Show and was handing out Striper Cup stickers. Not one fishing person there had not heard of the Striper Cup and Miramichi and the fantastic fishing available.

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Mallet, welcome.

As you said in your speech, the presence of striped bass has not really had consequences on commercial catches, in other words lobster or the other species that we know. In the case of lobster, I think that there have been more catches over the last few years.

In the history of the Union, do you remember having seen population explosions followed by an immediate decline, as Mr. Wilson has described? Is what we are observing right now normal?

[Martin Mallet]

Yes, it corresponds exactly with Mr. Wilson's description.

I will now put on my biologist's hat. I am a biologist by training, actually. I studied lobster for several years before taking the position of executive director at the MFU. Striped bass is at the northern edge of its range. If there are good hot years through the spring, summer and fall, the species really benefits from the water temperature. This is what we have observed over the last 10 years. Nevertheless, we have experienced impressive ice cover for the last few winters. We are all going to remember the story of the whales, and the problems that we had to face last spring during the ice breakup in the bays. It was really difficult. With the ice, we expect the same type of spring in 2019.

A long time ago, there was a commercial fishery for striped bass, but we are currently studying the repercussions that its presence could have on lobster. Striped bass is an opportunistic species which, if it has the chance, eats just about anything. Lobster is not what it prefers to eat. Over the last 10 years, we have seen no signs indicating a decline in terms of recruitment. As for undersized lobster, there is no sign of a slowdown. In fact, we are currently seeing another increase.

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

We have a lot of outfitters on the river, a lot of people who are saying this is destroying salmon. It's being seen in salmon pools way up the river, way above the tidewater, which we've never seen before.

What's the equilibrium, in your mind? Where do the numbers stand and how do we manage it?

[Jeff Wilson]

I think you're probably there.

We did a bycatch study last year with the outfitters on both the Miramichi and Restigouche rivers. They were allowed to keep any striped bass caught above the tidewater. There were 16 caught in the Restigouche and 13 caught in the Miramichi. The stomach studies of those fish indicated there was less than 2% salmon parr in there; 90% were empty. Most were crustaceans. Those dive studies are available. I have put it on my USB for the members to consider.

That's a capacity issue. That is the small, young-of-the-year fish that they're seeing up there. It's not the big spawning fish that will come into the river for two or three weeks and then immediately leave the river. There is 90% of the parr that come down the Southwest Miramichi, and 90% of the striped bass that go up the Northwest Miramichi.

Mother Nature does a great job at managing this, but during heavy rains and high flows in the spring we are seeing that affecting the striped bass' ability.... As Mr. Mallet said, the water temperatures have to be perfect for that fish, and they take advantage of that.

We have to be careful that we manage this. I would not want to see the stock go below 300,000. We need that buffer. If we don't have that buffer, then we get back to endangered species again and we've lost the economic benefit that we enjoy today.

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair]

Now we'll go to the Conservative side.

Mr. Sopuck, for seven minutes or less, please.

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

Mr. Wilson, I want to commend you for your advocacy for recreational fishing in general. It's something that I think DFO always has on the back burner. I think the recreational angler in Canada should be demanding more effort from DFO—not asking for it, but demanding that more of its resources be spent on the recreational fishery.

Having said that, I kind of dispute your 2% figure here. I want to quote from the Atlantic Salmon Federation and DFO's study in 2018—just last year—in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. It showed that up to 18% of smolt leaving the Northwest Miramichi were eaten by striped bass in some years.

I know this study fairly well. It was a peer-reviewed and well-done study. I don't dispute your 2% number, but having talked about a stomach analysis of angler catch versus a detailed study like these folks did, I think it is kind of important.

In my view, Atlantic salmon conservation is probably one of the most difficult conservation challenges in the world. It's not a wonder that we have so few; it's a wonder that we have so many, given the challenges that the Atlantic salmon face.

You spoke about the value of the sport fishery. You said it was $3.8 million in the Striper Cup fishery. Well, the Gardner Pinfold study that ASF did was $135 million for the Atlantic salmon.

I have a bit of a different point of view than you do of human management of resources. I think that humans have the right to ask for a certain mix of fishery and then manage towards that. That's a bit of a soliloquy there.

How do we keep the striped bass at the numbers you want—350,000—given the natural fluctuations of both the food supply and temperature that you so eloquently described?

[Jeff Wilson]

I'll address three points.

The first point is the diet study. The Atlantic Salmon Federation did one. It's at 2% to 18% on 100 smolt released in the Northwest Miramichi. The DFO study was of 1,800 fish randomly selected through handling, with the actual stomach-content DNA analyzed, versus predatory analysis, in which the tagged fish looked like it was a striped bass when it got tagged. I'll just address that.

Second of all, when you talk about the economic benefits, the study of the Atlantic salmon was conducted a number of years ago. That's why I've asked for what I believe would be a prudent approach—to take a proper look at the recreational fishery of striped bass across the whole gulf so that we get the proper value of that fishery and can consider both species equally. Please don't get me wrong, I was an avid salmon fisherman for 30 years.

When we go into the salmon fishery, we do have an extremely difficult challenge, given that for 57 days last year, the temperature of the Miramichi was actually acute for salmon; if a salmon swam 100 yards, it would die. We had 61 days of that the year before. Over the last five years, the mean water temperature in the river was up to that level more than 40 days a year. We really have a water temperature issue for the salmon, which is another challenge for you folks to ponder. Also, in the spring, we have high flow in a very short period of time, and then an acute start to the summer. We've lost our spring. That has a tremendous effect on the fish.

There is no correlation between diet and the return of a large salmon population. Having bought out the Greenland commercial fishery, we'll certainly see some return to that, I think. When you look at the rivers in Labrador and Newfoundland and see the same decline of salmon there without any striped bass predation, it is a concern. It is a challenge, as you've mentioned. Atlantic salmon is one of the flagships of New Brunswick. I was fortunate to have a chance to fish that when it was in its prime.

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

Could you talk about what your recommendations would be to keep the striped bass at 300,000? How would you achieve that?

[Jeff Wilson]

That's why I think the indigenous commercial fishery needs to be controlled for fewer fish, less effort and higher margin, to make sure they get their right. I would reduce the recreational retention to one a day.

We were doing it very slowly, and then all of a sudden last year, we just let the gates open, because DFO's plan was to triple retention. I believe the retention was too high and may have been too of an adjustment.