Fisheries Committee on Feb. 27th, 2024

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I became an MP in 2015. Ever since then, I've been hearing about the massive increase in the number of redfish in the Gulf. I've been very critical in the media about Fisheries and Oceans Canada's work.

The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development appeared before the committee a few weeks ago, and he said that DFO hasn't been doing enough on species recovery plans. The spring herring fishery is closed. The mackerel fishery is closed. The shrimp fishery is probably going to close.

What is your plan to help these stocks recover?

[Adam Burns]

In 2019, the Fisheries Act was amended to implement measures to ensure that species in the critical zone are well and sustainably managed.

These changes mean we now have a regulatory obligation to have rebuilding plans for prescribed fish stocks. I believe we'll have robust rebuilding plans for a number of fish stocks that are in the critical zone ready by April 4, which is just a few weeks away.

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

When are you hoping shrimp stocks will be adequate, as they were in the good years?

Can you give us an estimate? Will it take one year, three years, 10 years, 20 years?

[Dr. Bernard Vigneault]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for his question.

Environmental factors and climate change are the dominant factors, so we don't expect Gulf shrimp—

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

That's what happened with redfish, right?

[Dr. Bernard Vigneault]

Yes.

We don't expect stocks to return to what they were in the 1990s, when they were at their peak.

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

That's why we're saying we need a plan to rebuild this species and other species, such as herring and mackerel, that are struggling.

Coastal communities are the ones suffering. I hope you'll get to work on this. That's what we want.

I'll give the rest of my time to Mr. Kelloway.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

There's17 seconds. That's hardly worthwhile taking.

That concludes our two hours of committee business with our witnesses.

I want to thank Mr. Adam Burns and his staff for coming once again today and for actually staying for the full two hours to answer questions and participate in our study on the redfish.

We'll suspend for a couple of moments now to switch the meeting to just ourselves.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We have some budgets to approve.

I know we did instruct the clerk to prepare a budget for the Yukon travel and submit it once again. We are past the deadline for submitting it, but they are prepared to let us submit it and include it in their deliberations with the Liaison Committee.

I believe that's for a budget for $206,612.40.

[An hon. member]

That's expensive.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Yes, it's expensive.

I'm asking for permission to submit that to the Liaison Committee or wherever it goes.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We'll submit it and see where it goes this time.

There's a budget, as well, that was done up for the elver study. Is it the will of the committee to adopt the budget in the amount of $1,500?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

All right.

Then there's the adoption of the redfish quota study budget, which is up to an amount of $6,000. Is everybody in agreement with that?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

At our next committee meeting, of course, we will finish our study on redfish quotas with witnesses from organizations.

The deadline to submit your witness list to the clerk for the derelict vessels study is Friday, March 15, at 5 p.m.

[An hon. member]

Can you say that again?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

The deadline to submit your witness list to the clerk for the derelict vessels study—put forward by Ms. Barron—is Friday, March 15, at 5 p.m.

Mr. Perkins.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Can I ask you a question or maybe propose...? I know there's no such thing as a friendly amendment, but can we make the derelict vessels study include Atlantic Canada as well?

It's only British Columbia and the north—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Ask Ms. Barron. She's the one who moved the motion. If she's okay with adding it....

Ms. Barron.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

I appreciate your bringing this forward because clearly there are derelict vessels along all coasts, including the Arctic and absolutely on the east coast. The reason I had it narrowed down to just the west coast is that we had agreement to allocate only four meetings, which would never be able to entail all of the information we would need to cover the east coast and the Arctic as well.

I would be more than happy to accept an amendment by one of my colleagues to add two meetings to the study to include the Arctic and the east coast, if that's the will of the committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

I'm seeing the nodding of heads to add the extra two meetings if we can for the derelict vessel study to include the Arctic and the east coast. Okay.

We might have to change the budget amount as we go. I'll come back to you on that.

I said the next meeting is on that.

We have Mr. Arnold.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I hope that this will only take a couple of minutes as well.

I would like to move the motion that was put on notice. I move:

That, the Committee invite the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to appear for no fewer than 2 hours regarding the Supplementary Estimates (C) 2023-2024 and that this meeting take place as soon as possible, but no later than March 21, 2024

That is the deadline for reporting it to the House.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

For tabling it.

Okay. We've heard the motion. Is there any discussion?

(Motion agreed to)