Fisheries Committee on June 13th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Go ahead, Ms. Barron.

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

Thank you, MP Hardie.

I guess I should just clarify.

I assumed, when looking at this, that this meant that these are the people who are physically travelling here, the witnesses that we have sent out, and that there would be additional people not included in the breakdown of provinces who would be witnesses appearing virtually, who would receive the headsets, which would also be included in this budget.

That's how I interpreted it, but there are witnesses, 100%, from Vancouver Island. I'm assuming, based on these numbers, that they have all said that their preference is to attend virtually, and of course I always mention to witnesses that it is their choice to come in person or to attend virtually.

[The Clerk]

It's an estimate. I would rather have estimated enough people coming in and enough headsets than doing a supplementary budget at the end of the study. It doesn't mean that we will spend all that money on the study.

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

Just to clarify, should we be including in here, then, an estimate of some coming from Vancouver Island and not just Vancouver? Vancouver Island, of course, is an extra jump over the pond, I guess you could say, from Vancouver.

[The Clerk]

It's really an estimate. If they come from Vancouver Island and nobody's coming from Quebec, let's say, we can take that money to reimburse the ones from Vancouver Island. It's just an estimate of where people could come from. It doesn't mean that it's going to cost that money for everybody coming in person.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Go ahead, Mr. Arnold.

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

Thank you.

I have further questions on the witness breakdown that's on the budget here.

I see three persons from Iqaluit and three from Nunavut. When we checked with the Canadian Coast Guard's inventory of wrecked, abandoned and hazardous vessels, we found that there are no abandoned or wrecked vessels listed in those territories. I'm questioning why we would have six witnesses from an area that does not have any abandoned or derelict vessels listed on the Coast Guard's list.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Ms. Barron, do you guys want to answer that question?

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I can answer some of this question.

One thing I do know is that there are abandoned vessels in the Arctic, which is why we've included the Arctic in the study itself. They are different. I have pictures of them. They're large freighters that have been abandoned.

That is a good question as to why they're not listed in the vessels that have been abandoned. I think those would be some good questions for us to ask when we dig into the study.

As for the breakdown of Iqaluit and Nunavik, I'm uncertain how those numbers are broken down and why they're broken down in that way. Again, I think it's just based on an estimate. I don't have any control over that piece.

Just to give you that information, MP Arnold, there are abandoned vessels in the Arctic.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Go ahead, Mr. Arnold.

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

Thanks to MP Barron for clarifying that she believes the Coast Guard's inventory is incorrect or inadequate. It'll be interesting to see that.

I'll ask now that the clerk circulate to the rest of the committee the list that has been submitted for witnesses.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

I'm sure we can get that sent to all committee members.

Go ahead, Clerk.

[The Clerk]

I just want to add that I didn't receive any witnesses from the Arctic, so my estimates are really estimates. I don't really have.... I went with Iqaluit and Nunavik because they're in the Arctic, but they might be coming from somewhere else, and I didn't know where they would come from.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

As the clerk said, I think she just wanted to make sure that she didn't have to come back for a supplementary budget. It doesn't mean that we're going to spend that amount. We might spend more and have to come back for a supplementary budget before the study is finished, but we have to land somewhere to get it started.

Is everyone in agreement with that?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Okay. That's agreed.

Now we have to suspend for our witness.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We're back.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and a motion adopted on June 16, 2022, the committee is resuming its study of the population sustainability of Yukon salmon stocks.

We welcome on Zoom, from the Government of Yukon, the Honourable Nils Clarke, Minister of Environment.

Thank you for being here today, sir. You will have up to five minutes for an opening statement.

Minister, you have the floor.

[Nils Clarke, Minister of Environment, Government of Yukon]

Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.

Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that I'm attending virtually from Whitehorse, the Yukon's capital, and the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council.

Yukon first nations have been stewards of the Yukon's natural environment since time immemorial. We recognize the tremendous impact the Yukon River salmon decline has had on Yukon first nations subsistence harvest, culture, food, security and traditional practices.

I also recognize that for years, Yukon first nations have voluntarily reduced or ceased subsistence salmon fishing to help restore the species and hopefully build a territory where salmon can be harvested by future generations.

Low returns witnessed on the Porcupine River recently prompted the Vantut Gwitchin First Nation to implement a comprehensive prohibition on the use of gillnets intended for species such as burbot, whitefish and pike. We anticipate these types of prohibitions to be implemented by other Yukon first nations in order to reduce the risk of salmon bycatch in these gillnets. If these prohibitions expand, we expect the need for subsistence harvest to shift to Yukon's freshwater lakes.

Officials in our government are responding to these developments by exploring opportunities to partner with Yukon first nations to identify alternative subsistence fisheries options in order to preserve traditional practices, culture and food security.

Since 2017, Yukon River salmon restoration and recovery has been a topic of joint advocacy by the Yukon government and the Yukon first nations during our annual Yukon Days missions to Ottawa. The importance of this joint advocacy between governments and other co-management partners continues to be a theme in the discussions I have been having with Yukon first nation governments and other partners.

At a recent Yukon Forum, a meeting of Yukon first nations and the Yukon government, the parties suggested the need for an intergovernmental strategy in order to support collaboration and alignment between Canadian co-management partners on Yukon River chinook salmon restoration. As Minister of Environment, I will be approaching my counterparts in Yukon first nation governments to develop this intergovernmental strategy. The conversation around the strategy is still in its infancy, but we are hopeful we can bring together the Yukon government and Yukon first nations leadership to consider such a strategy in the coming months.

I would like to close by welcoming the agreement recently signed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Alaskan state government regarding the recovery of chinook salmon in the Yukon River drainage. The Yukon government was pleased to see that the agreement places a priority on traditional and local knowledge to better understand the causes of low chinook salmon counts, while directing the Yukon River Panel to develop a recovery plan to guide a path forward.

We know the agreement will not fully address the reasons for salmon decline and that our governments will continue to have a role to play in promoting salmon recovery and protecting subsistence fishing opportunities. I am hopeful that through continued collaboration of the Government of Canada, the Government of Yukon, first nations governments and other co-management partners, we can continue to lay the groundwork for a long recovery of Yukon River salmon.

Finally, I want to note that I will be in Ottawa later this month to attend the meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for conservation, wildlife and biodiversity, where conversation for the protection of species at risk, like salmon, will continue.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to provide opening remarks.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you for that.

We will go to our rounds of questioning.

We will start off for six minutes or less with Mr. Arnold.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Clarke, for being here. I appreciate your input from right there in the territory where this is happening.

Basically, how did things get this bad? How did the numbers get so low?

Obviously, this isn't just a short-term result. How did they get this bad?

[Nils Clarke]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Just for clarification, how much time do I have for each answer, approximately?

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

I only have six minutes total.

[Nils Clarke]

Okay, you have six minutes. Thank you.

The decline of Yukon River salmon cannot be attributed to a single cause. Instead, it results from multiple factors affecting both the marine and freshwater environments.

In the marine environment, Yukon River salmon face intense competition for resources against foreign hatchery-bred salmon. Additionally, they must contend with changing ocean temperatures and bycatch mortality in the north Pacific marine fishery.

If they survive these marine challenges, they will encounter further difficulties in the freshwater environment. Beginning the longest migration in the world in a weakened state, they face threats from increasing river temperatures, Alaskan harvests, migratory barriers—

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

I'm going to interrupt you there, Mr. Clarke.

[Nils Clarke]

Yes, sir.