Evidence of meeting #13 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was fish.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
Again, yes, I would have to agree.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Tell me about the members of your industry. For the last couple of years, there have been massive closures because DFO has said at the committee numerous times that one of the only tools they have at their disposal is to shut down seasons or to regulate seasons and withdraw fishing pressure in order to conserve stocks.
Do you believe that's actually true or could we use hatcheries more for enhancement of stocks and provide more opportunities?
4:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
Well, as they say, the idea behind moving towards 100% marking of hatchery production, not proposing additional production but simply marking 100% of what is produced, would provide those additional identifiable fish to be available for harvest. It could make a much clearer distinction between wild and hatchery fish than currently exists, and thereby allow opportunity for a harvest in areas where some of those stocks of concern do appear or it's very clear that those stocks of concern are not present. The idea behind having opportunity and access for the public fishery is critical.
The main areas affected by the chinook restrictions are the south coast of British Columbia. That's the main population base. It affects perception and understanding about fish in fisheries and the ability for all number of public fishery participants, whether they are guides or charter operators. Operators, those who benefit from fishing tourism, are all affected by opportunity and access. Therefore, where possible to provide that opportunity on marked fish, so much the better.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Does the department need to wait for a full cycle of marked salmon in order to open up a mark-selective fishery, or could they do it right away?
4:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
Absolutely not. They do not because our neighbours to the south produce many times more marked hatchery chinook fish, with an understanding that British Columbians intercept those fish. Therefore, there is no problem to harvest those fish. In addition, there are some marked chinook in British Columbia waters.
No, there is not a necessity to wait to implement those fisheries.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Can anybody here, maybe Mr. Young and Mr. Bird, if it's appropriate, speak to some of the selective fishing techniques that we can use to make sure that we extract marked fish out of the system and leave naturally spawned fish in the system?
4:20 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
I have my mike open, so maybe I'll just jump in and then Phil can go ahead.
It is a bit unique to the public fishery in that we can readily identify fish at the side of the boat and determine whether that fish has an adipose fin missing or not. As far as fishing goes, public fisheries are based on one hook, one line, so it is quite a selective and slow process. Therefore, you can make that determination, having little effect on a fish that should be released.
That, in combination with data-supported fisheries, by which I mean understanding where these stocks of concern are present or not and allowing for fisheries to take place there, will present those opportunities that are desperately needed and reasonable.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Fisheries and Corporate Affairs, Canadian Fishing Company
Yes. From my standpoint, the big thing is that we do have some fisheries that can be very selective. The one that comes to mind, of course, is the seine fishery, because you're bringing them beside the boat in a net, and you're brailing all the fish onto a sorting table. It's not specifically to take a run out, but you can take species, so if there's a steelhead issue or a coho issue, you can release those back into the ocean with hardly any impact at all.
There are some selective and some not so much.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
You're right at the five-minute mark, Mr. Calkins. You're absolutely perfect in your timing today.
We'll now finish off by going to Mr. Hardie for five minutes or less, please.
December 7th, 2020 / 4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The situation that we're looking at here, folks, is not how to share the fish that are in the water. This is not an argument over who gets to catch the last fish. This is all about trying to expand the number of fish so that there are more fish to do everything that we want those fish to do, which is to procreate and to be caught for food, sport and recreation.
When we look at the health of the stocks and the factors that affect the health of those stocks, we have fishing effort, predation, climate change, water temperature, etc., and habitat. Is there anything else that we need to look at in terms of a 360-degree view of all of the factors that are possibly behind the fact that a lot of our salmon runs particularly are in dreadful shape right now?
Owen, we'll start with you.
4:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
Yes, I think you've characterized what are some very tall orders. Those are the factors that are impacting all of us, the fish included, of course. The more that we can also include the social element here, the social and economic considerations given to addressing fisheries issues, so much the better. By that I mean that we have to take steps to address each of those priorities but not lose sight of the fact that society—citizens of British Columbia and Canada—is a part of this ecosystem and that to take steps to eliminate that for those specific runs of stocks, when there are opportunities to harvest more abundant stocks, is something we shouldn't do.
We must try to take advantage of the harvest—
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
I'm sorry. I have to cut you short because I have more questions and we're rather confined. I know that you could go on and on, and we'll probably have that opportunity off-line.
I have a second question for you, and then I'll pass both of those questions on to Mr. Young for the time that we have available.
Right now, if there's a critique of DFO, it is that most of its effort is in managing the fishing effort and that there's not sufficient balance with the other factors that perhaps can be actionable if the resources, etc., are there. Do you agree with that?
4:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
I think that is the problem. There has been a very narrow focus on fisheries management rather than a comprehensive strategy that is more than projects.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Mr. Young, can you address both of those questions? Hopefully, you can remember the first one.
4:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Fisheries and Corporate Affairs, Canadian Fishing Company
Honestly, Mr. Hardie, Owen really summed it up well. Those are the big issues. We all agree that those four are really the big issues. I don't think you can add too much to that.
I do agree it seems that the easy one for DFO to deal with is fish management, because you can see it right in that year. You maybe put more fish on the grounds. That's what it focuses on and maybe not enough on the overall situation of what's happening in the high seas or in the spawning grounds.
I agree with Owen.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Mr. Calkins and I may have slightly different views about the purpose of hatcheries, but I think we're both on the same page when it comes to predation, especially by pinnipeds.
Mr. Bird and Mr. Young, what would you have us do?
4:30 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
That's a challenging question.
4:30 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
Yes, of course.
I believe it's an obvious problem. There's a lot of evidence to say that predation, by pinnipeds particularly, is an issue.
Where to start or how to tackle that challenge is difficult. I'm afraid I don't have a silver bullet, other than to say that something surely needs to be done and you need to start somewhere.
You've had Dr. Carl Walters propose that a focused approach in estuaries would not make for compelling results.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
I'll call it for time and give Mr. Young about five seconds.
4:30 p.m.
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
Sure.
I'm sorry, Phil.
4:30 p.m.
Vice-President, Fisheries and Corporate Affairs, Canadian Fishing Company
I'll say very much the same thing. It's very difficult to deal with it.
There are market implications, if we're seen in the rest of the world to be going out and somehow culling.
I think we have to be very careful. It has to be a very strategic thing. But is it an issue? Of course it is.