Fisheries Committee on May 13th, 2019

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

I just said that we are.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

But they're not running at capacity, so why not?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

I said that we are.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

I was just there. I just visited both of those hatcheries. They're not running at capacity.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

We are putting in money as part of the whales initiative, to ensure we are providing the southern killer whales with more food to eat.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Is there anything in the estimates to increase the number of spawning channels for chinook salmon?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

That is certainly part of the purview of the salmon innovation restoration fund.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Okay, but nothing—

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

There's $142 million in historic investment in salmon habitat restoration being done by the Government of British Columbia and the federal government.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

That's—

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

It has never been done in the history of British Columbia.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

That sounds great in a news release.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

It is good.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

I'm just asking if there's anything that's going to be done on the ground.

Are there any new spawning channels for—?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

We will have announcements to make with respect to the first projects out of that fund by June.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Is there anything in the sense of predator control?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

As I said, there is a symposium that we're organizing with the University of British Columbia to bring together all stakeholders to have a conversation around seals and sea lions.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Okay, so really what you're saying is that with $107 million, there's no new hatchery capacity, there are going to be discussions at a symposium with a bunch of academics, there may be announcements coming for spawning channels, and there is a complete closure of chinook salmon fisheries, which is going to cost the commercial sport fishing industry anywhere from $200 million to $500 million, depending on who you believe.

I already know of lodges and guiding services that have completely shut down and lost all of their business on Vancouver Island, and $107 million is what it's costing them. You're taking money out of their pocket to basically tell them that they're shut down and out of business. I haven't heard anything from you about a compensation program or a package to offset any of the revenue that's been lost by any of these commercial fishermen.

There is no way you are going to reconsider allowing these people to catch the transient salmon that are in the area other than in the sounds. You realize that you're going to put all the fishing pressure in the sounds this summer and completely decimate those populations. You know that's what's going to happen, right, Minister?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

There are quite a number of things that are just not correct in terms of what you said.

There is no complete closure. There is no complete closure anywhere. There is a catch-and-release fishery even while the Fraser chinook are in the area.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Nobody pays $4,000—

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

The $107 million is actually—

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Nobody pays $4,000 to—

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

—associated with Bill C-68, which is to implement the stock assessment provisions within the bill. They don't have anything to do with habitat restoration. That's $142 million—partnering with the Government of B.C.

We have put in place the most comprehensive approach to addressing the decline in the Fraser chinook in the history of British Columbia. It is something that needs to be done if you are somebody who believes that these fish need to be saved. I, for one, do.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

The Omega Pacific Hatchery on Great Central Lake on Vancouver Island has the capacity to do 12 separate strains.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

I'm more than happy to talk about the science with you.