Thank you. My name is Lyne Morissette. As you said, I'm a marine biologist. I'm also the author of a book entitled Pêcheurs et Baleines en Gaspésie : sur le chemin de la coexistence, or “fishers and whales in the Gaspé Peninsula: on the road to coexistence”. Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience with you today.
I've taken the time to carefully read the brief on the reopening of cod fishing. While I'll leave it to the experts to discuss quotas and the technical aspects of fishing, my goal today is to talk about the approach. Beyond the numbers, we need to find the best recipe for effectively protecting our marine ecosystems and the resources that they contain. In the era of climate urgency and biodiversity collapse, we don't have the luxury of overlooking anyone's knowledge. We must integrate fishers and indigenous communities into the heart of the decision‑making processes in both Newfoundland and Labrador and across all Canadian fisheries.
What struck me most in this brief is the need to actively involve indigenous and non‑indigenous fishers in resource management. They're the experts on the ground. They observe changes in stocks, currents and reproductive cycles. These key elements often escape theoretical models. Their knowledge is invaluable. Without their participation, we lose our bearings.
I've had the opportunity to see the same challenges in other places—particularly among crab and lobster fishers—in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where we're working on the North Atlantic right whale situation. In this case too, the lack of dialogue, co‑operation and especially trust between fishers and decision‑makers has often adversely affected resource management, a crucial factor in the survival of this endangered species.
Over the years, I've come to understand that these fishers aren't opposed to resource conservation. On the contrary, they're the first to want to protect the resource that sustains them. However, they must be heard, respected and included in the process. Too often, decisions are made without involving them and their valuable knowledge. This creates mistrust and unnecessary tension. It isn't just an advantage to work with fishers. It's a necessity. Their local knowledge, based on generations of experience, provides invaluable insight into the dynamics of our fish stocks.
This was confirmed in the case of cod. The fishers themselves sounded the alarm on the stock collapse. Unfortunately, these warnings were ignored by the scientific authorities at the time, which led to the current situation. Today, we also have the opportunity to correct this mistake. The cod stock may be recovering. However, the resource can't be managed properly without the active involvement of fishers. This means that they shouldn't be seen as mere passive participants. Instead, they must be considered co‑managers of the resource. They're on the ground every day, observing changes in ecosystems. They can sound the alarm on anomalies or on anything going wrong. They often do so before science can.
We've seen this time and again. When fishers aren't consulted, mistrust builds and conflicts arise. This happens in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and other parts of Canada. Fortunately, we have a recipe called environmental mediation. It's more than just co‑management. This rarely used method helps to foster a real and constructive dialogue among all stakeholders—in this case, fishers and managers—so that they can find solutions together. It works. There are examples in Alaska, the Philippines and Australia. It works really well everywhere.
Inshore fishers aren't asking to exploit a declining resource. They understand that their future is tied to the health of ecosystems. They want to be heard and included in decisions. The best way to restore a stock such as cod is to work together. The pill is always easier to swallow when fishers play an integral role in the process. Without their support, any initiative—such as fishing zone closures or quotas—will be doomed to fail. In this time of successive crises, we can't afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. The knowledge of indigenous and non‑indigenous fishers is a precious resource that we must integrate into ocean management.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share these thoughts with you. I hope that this discussion will mark a turning point—I truly believe so—in the management of our marine resources and that emphasis will be placed on the systematic integration of inshore fishers' knowledge into decision‑making processes.
By working together, we'll ensure the sustainable future of our oceans, fisheries and coastal communities.
Thank you for listening.