Evidence of meeting #111 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was bycatch.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
No, but we will make sure to collect a minimum. Minimums are set and will be set by the minister when she announces the total allowable catch, or TAC.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
How can you ensure a minimum quantity of bycatch? You don't know how much there is until the net comes out of the water.
4:15 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
I can provide more detailed information if you are interested.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Are you going to provide it to us in writing?
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
I would really like you to do that.
I think my time is up, Mr. Chair.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Okay. Thank you for that, Madame Desbiens.
I think Ms. Barron is trying to sign in, so we have to do a sound check with her. We'll suspend for a moment while we're doing that. Then we'll get back to our list.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
I'm going to say that we're back, because Mr. Boulerice is going to come in and sub in for Ms. Barron. Instead of waiting for that, I'll go to Mr. Perkins for five minutes. Then, hopefully, Mr. Boulerice will be here to do the two and a half minutes for Ms. Barron.
Mr. Perkins, you're up for five minutes or less.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This has been fascinating.
It was back in February, I believe, when the minister made the announcement of the reallocation between the fleets. I have a copy of the presentation that was made to industry groups back then.
I want to probe something you mentioned earlier when you were being asked about the fleet size you're using in the gulf right now. If I understand correctly, the way it's been done, the 58% share is allocated to a fleet of vessels of over 100 feet. The minister sets the TAC at whatever level she does, and I think she said the season begins in June. That's when they are hoping to do it. We expect it soon.
When they do that, does it mean your members will have to fish with vessels of over 100 feet, not the ones you're using now?
4:20 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
No. We are called the “offshore sector” because we have licences for vessels of over 100 feet, but in fact we only have between four and six vessels that are actually over 100 feet. The majority of our vessels are much smaller.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
That's important, because, of course, there's been some testimony in this committee saying that we have these big, process-at-sea vessels that are going to vacuum up the redfish in the offshore with this quota and bring it in. They don't actually create any jobs on land. They're not bringing it back to the processing plants. It's all done in these large vessels. However, if you're fishing in a 45- to 60-foot vessel, most of that is being landed and processed in a plant, which is creating those jobs you referred to earlier, as well.
Is that right?
4:20 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
Our members are located in 30 small communities across Atlantic Canada, and we employ Canadians. We contribute to coastal communities. Our employees live in coastal communities. Even if we have some large vessels that freeze it, these are plants that are the same as a land-based plant. It's just on water, employing local Atlantic Canadians.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Right now, the intent, obviously depending on the level of the TAC, is that you'll probably be maintaining the current size fleet for fishing this in the gulf. I mean the one you referenced earlier, not the one that's greater than 100 feet—or will it be both?
4:20 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
It could be both. It depends on the economics of it. Certainly, I think the department has confirmed that there's never been a policy in place that would not allow a vessel over 100 feet into the gulf.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
I think there's some impression that is left when people talk about larger vessels and those who have bought these licences up over the open market over the years since 1995 that, somehow, these are some sort of big, foreign, nasty corporate entities that are owned somewhere outside of Canada, or they're owned by somebody in some company in Toronto.
They're not big, anonymous corporations, are they? They're family businesses for the most part, are they not?
4:20 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
These are local family businesses based in small communities across Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
In terms of large vessels, I think we would argue that a larger vessel spends much less time on the water and is much more efficient, so in terms of the impact you're having on the environment and the ecosystem, it's much less than that of some smaller boats.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
This document that was released is where some confusion comes from, because it says that an annual catch rate between 88 and 318 kilotons could be considered. I think that's what it is. Is that annually or is that just one time only?
I seem to have heard conflicting testimony about whether people think that would be.... Let's say you set it at 88 kilotons. Would you be able to do that each year for the next number of years, or is that all you can take, and then the biomass is down to its limit and we stop fishing again?
4:20 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
That advice, I believe, is for one year.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
It's for one year, but then there would be a new assessment next year.
4:20 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
There would be a new assessment, yes, and new advice provided to the minister.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
At some level, when you take some out over time, that should mean the redfish get larger, because with the lower biomass, there's more food for each fish.
4:20 p.m.
President, Atlantic Groundfish Council
I'm not sure that's what the science advice is saying. I think it's predicting that it's likely to be very small going forward, and that in actual fact, the size of the stock will be much smaller in about eight or 10 years.