Fisheries Committee on Nov. 4th, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

I now call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 40 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

This meeting is taking place in a hybrid format pursuant to the House order of June 23, 2022.

Before we proceed, I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of witnesses and members alike.

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The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted on September 20, 2022, the committee is commencing its study of the closure of the mackerel fishery in Atlantic Canada and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

I would also like to advise all members that all of the sound checks have been done for all of the witnesses. They have been working fine.

I would now like to welcome our first panel of witnesses.

We have Sebastián Pardo, sustainable fisheries coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre. We are also joined by Katie Schleit, senior fisheries advisor with Oceans North. We also have Dominique Robert, professor and Canada research chair in fisheries ecology, Institut des sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, who is appearing as an individual,

We'll now go to opening remarks for five minutes or less.

Mr. Pardo, we'll go to you first.

[Dr. Sebastián Pardo, Sustainable Fisheries Coordinator, Ecology Action Centre]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to appear before you. This is a very important study, as we need to think about how to help the people who are the most impacted right now by fisheries closures. We also need to think about how to rebuild fisheries for the future.

I have a doctorate in fisheries science and I work with the Ecology Action Centre, which is one of Atlantic Canada's oldest and largest environmental organizations. It was founded in 1971. We advocate having sustainable and resilient fisheries that support thriving coastal communities. As part of this work, we are members of the Atlantic mackerel advisory committee and have been part of the mackerel rebuilding plan working group since its inception.

Today I would like to focus on three main reasons that closing the mackerel fishery was the right decision and why it should remain closed until there are robust signs of rebuilding.

First, the best available science shows that a moratorium was the only option left to rebuild the population. Mackerel have been in the critical zone for most of the past decade. Even though a rebuilding plan was finished in 2020, none of its objectives have been met as management decisions to reduce catches prior to the moratorium have failed to encourage population growth.

Furthermore, the abundance of reproductive-aged fish in 2021 was the lowest ever recorded, and the largest and oldest fish, which produce higher numbers of eggs, have almost disappeared from the population. All these indicators are evidence of the dire state of the mackerel stock and of how the fishery closure enacted this year is the best option to encourage rebuilding.

On top of this, the Fisheries Act states that for species in the critical zone, like mackerel, conservation considerations must prevail. This closure brings management of this fishery in line with the precautionary approach, which is a cornerstone of Canada’s sustainable fisheries framework.

Second, more mackerel being seen in some regions does not mean the population is recovering. This phenomenon could be explained by reasons other than increases in mackerel numbers.

One explanation could be a behaviour well documented among many fishes, the best example being cod, in which, when fish numbers decline, some species start to school more frequently, creating the appearance of higher numbers. Another explanation is that marine species in the north Atlantic are already expanding north due to warming waters, and, for example, mackerel historically observed on the Scotian Shelf could now be seen further north in eastern Newfoundland. Preliminary research done by Fisheries and Oceans, which was presented at the last advisory committee meeting, suggests that mackerel in eastern Newfoundland, one of the regions in which they're being perceived to be in higher numbers, do not belong to a separate breeding population, as some have proposed.

All of this being said, we would welcome more resources being directed for further studies to help elucidate these unknowns.

Last, and most important is that rebuilding the fishery is the only long-term option for fishers who depend on mackerel, and they must be supported while the population rebuilds. Thousands of people across Atlantic Canada and Quebec are already undergoing financial hardship because of the closure and indeed face severe uncertainty, as it is difficult to predict when the fishery will reopen.

Unfortunately, past management decisions that have reduced catches year after year without resulting in population growth have slowly brought this hardship upon fishing communities. Rebuilding the mackerel population to a healthy level can support a thriving fishery with much higher catches than those seen over the past decade. We could have more fishers and processors making a living, and also a bait source that is more readily available.

In contrast, reopening the fishery before rebuilding would allow for limited short-term catches but would risk further depleting the population, a scenario that would prolong hardship to fishing communities.

In the meantime, it is absolutely crucial to ensure that the people directly affected, particularly small-scale fishers and plant workers who are impacted the most, have support to manage financially through these closures. It is also crucial that their coastal communities not be further impacted by lack of opportunities and that they can be ready to fish when these stocks are healthy again.

I will repeat those three reasons that the mackerel fishery should remain closed in the short-term until there are robust signs of rebuilding: One, the best available science shows that a moratorium was the only option left to rebuild the population; two, more mackerel being seen in some regions does not necessarily mean the population is recovering; and three, rebuilding the fishery is the best long-term option for fishers who depend on mackerel, and they must be supported while the population rebuilds.

In simple terms, this issue boils down to a question of values. Do we value short-term economic relief at the risk of permanent stock collapse and long-term financial hardship, or do we value the long-term sustainability of this fishery and the future of fishing communities?

Thank you very much for your time. I'm happy to take any questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you.

We'll go to Ms. Schleit for five minutes or less. Go ahead, please.

[Katie Schleit, Senior Fisheries Advisor, Oceans North]

Thank you.

Thank you very much for inviting me to participate today. I'm joining from Mi’kma’ki, and I'm here representing Oceans North, a Canadian charity that supports marine conservation and sustainable fisheries in partnership with coastal and indigenous communities.

I started working on mackerel in 2014 when the TAC, the total allowable catch, was set at 10 times more than DFO's scientific advice and the stock was already critically depleted. Since that time, I have been engaged in mackerel science and management alongside DFO, industry and indigenous groups in an effort to see the stock recover.

Atlantic mackerel have been critically depleted for more than a decade now, and the spawning stock biomass, or the estimate of stock abundance, is at the lowest level ever recorded. Also, while mackerel can live up to 20 years, we rarely see fish more than five years old now. This is a common feature of overfishing. Over many years, the fish that are caught get smaller and smaller. Fewer fish are also surviving long enough to reproduce.

Fisheries rebuilding is now legally required under the Fisheries Act, and mackerel are among the priority species, a move that was supported by all parties. A rebuilding plan for mackerel was released in 2020, after several years of collaboration and sincere effort from industry to recommend measures and take action to rebuild the stock. Unfortunately, a year later, we failed to achieve the lowest objective: seeing positive growth in the stock.

Oceans North is of the strong view that the minister's decision to close the commercial and bait fisheries for Atlantic mackerel in 2022 was evidence-based, difficult, but ultimately necessary.

We understand that the 2022 closure had immediate financial consequences for the industry, but while the short-term financial pain is real, it could lead to long-term gains. The benefit of a rebuilt stock is often overlooked in the economic analysis of fisheries quota reductions. In 2020, Oceans North released a cost-benefit analysis conducted by Gardner Pinfold Consulting on the economic benefit of rebuilding mackerel. It revealed that minimizing fishing could lead to benefits estimated at over $54 million. That's a 12.9% return on the investment of rebuilding the stock to healthier levels. A rebuilt stock can benefit everyone and the ecosystem.

The reliance on the critically depleted mackerel stock as bait for many in the lobster industry has been a topic of discussion between industry and DFO, the NGOs and the Marine Stewardship Council since at least 2015. One study estimates that up to two pounds of bait could be used for every pound of lobster caught. The problem isn't mackerel per se; it's the sheer volume of raw fish used.

Luckily, several companies and research institutions have been working on alternative bait products over the last several years. One study has found that an alternative bait fished just as well as traditional bait but had the added benefit of lasting longer.

We applaud the researchers and companies trialing baits that use less fish and the harvesters who are experimenting with these products. This needs to continue through increased investment in trials.

We often hear that the science isn't taking fishermen's views into account. However, industry is present for, and contributes meaningfully to, DFO's peer-reviewed assessments. DFO also established an industry-science working group for mackerel in 2020 to address gaps in science needs and observations. There were also many indigenous colleagues around the rebuilding table who strongly believed in the science and supported rebuilding actions.

It's not just DFO that's reporting similar declines. The United States, with whom we share this population, has been seeing similar negative trends. In 2020, the U.S. enacted an emergency action to drastically reduce their quota after their rebuilding plan also failed. The two countries need to continue to work together to rebuild the stock. Here at home, surveys of recreational fishers have found they have also noticed declines in fish abundance and size over time, corresponding to the scientific assessments.

The closure of the mackerel fishery was based on strong scientific evidence, fisheries observations, and DFO law and policy. Previous efforts to rebuild the stock through management measures and quota declines have failed. Closing the fishery was necessary to rebuild the stock for the future of both the industry and the ecosystem.

Thank you for your time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you.

We'll now go to Mr. Robert for five minutes or less, please.

[Dr. Dominique Robert, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Fisheries Ecology, Institut des sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, As an Individual]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I am a professor and Canada Research Chair in Fisheries Ecology at the Université du Québec à Rimouski. In 2008, I defended a doctoral thesis on the ecology of the larval stage of mackerel in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, with particular emphasis on the environmental factors that regulate the survival of larvae and that are therefore responsible for the replenishment of adult stocks.

I then worked regularly on this species and participated in Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s stock assessments. I therefore believe that I have the knowledge required to comment on the ecology of the species in the context of fisheries management.

Contrary to the assessment of a number of forage species stocks in Canada, mackerel stock assessment is based on a reliable survey of adult abundance, derived from egg abundance in the egg‑laying area in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Because mackerel may alter its migration based on temperature, it is important to periodically check whether a substantial proportion of egg‑laying is occurring outside of the survey area. Over the past few years, the survey has been extended on an ad‑hoc basis to a number of areas such as the west coast of Newfoundland and the Scotian shelf, but the amount of egg‑laying outside the Gulf has always been considered negligible in calculating abundance, which has always been considered reliable.

The critical state of the stock can be attributed to two key factors: one is very high mortality in adults and the other is a low survival rate for the larvae.

Regarding mortality in adults, we estimate that, despite the substantial reduction in commercial catches in the past 20 years, when the quota went from 75,000 tonnes to just 4,000 tonnes, mortality remained too high to promote stock growth. In addition to high fishing pressure, natural mortality due to predatory fish such as bluefin tuna increased in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. There is also an indication that the stock in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is suffering from other predators, such as grey seals, of which there are 16 times more now than there were in the 1960s. Predation has therefore increased a great deal since the early 2000s.

Finally, recent studies looking at the origin of mackerel caught during the winter fishery in the U.S. showed that a significant proportion of the fish caught in the U.S. are originally from the Gulf of St. Lawrence stock. This is therefore another source of mortality that is difficult to estimate at this time.

In addition to the high mortality in adults, the decline in mackerel abundance can be explained by a decline in recruitment since the 2010s. This decline in recruitment has been traced back to environmental conditions that have become unfavourable for larvae. During the first weeks of life, the survival of the larvae depends directly on their ability to successfully feed on their main prey: zooplankton.

With the rapid increase in temperature in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, there has been a change in the development period of the mackerel’s main prey, as they now develop earlier in the season, while the mackerel’s egg‑laying period has not changed. As a result, the emergence of larvae and prey production are no longer at the same time and place, leading to recruitment failure in the past few years. The stock recovery rate will depend largely on the return to colder conditions that would promote the survival of larvae and recruitment. However, short‑term climate projections unfortunately do not point to a return to these types of favourable conditions in the near future.

Now, here are some recommendations.

The first is to maintain fishing activity at as low a level as possible until signs of a recovery in the adult stock are observed.

The second is to establish a strategy to more accurately measure mortality resulting from fishing, including baitfishing in regions where it is not mandatory to report catches, and the winter fishery in the U.S.

The third is to establish a joint management plan with the U.S., given the presence of mackerel from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in their winter fishery.

The last is to use alternative baits from the highly abundant species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, such as redfish, until the mackerel population recovers.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you for that. You're right on the mark.

We'll go to our rounds of questioning.

First we'll go to Mr. Small for six minutes or less, please.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for taking time out of your busy schedules to help us out on this very important study.

My first question is for Ms. Schleit.

In making your recommendations in the mackerel assessment this year, which stakeholders were you representing?

[Katie Schleit]

Thank you for the question.

Oceans North is a Canadian charity. We work closely with harvesters and indigenous communities. We don't represent fishermen; we are an environmental charity.

As I mentioned in my statement, we work alongside fishermen. I've been at the table with harvesters since at least 2015, talking about the difficult issue of the mackerel declines and trying to come up with solutions.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

All right. I wanted to clarify your stakeholder attachment here.

If there's no mackerel bycatch in cod nets happening, few recreational catches and little or no visual encounters with mackerel, what would you say your first take would be on the state of the mackerel stock?

[Katie Schleit]

I'm sorry. Are you asking, if we can't find any mackerel, what would be the assessment of the state of the stock?

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Yes. Would you say there are no mackerel, some mackerel or plenty of mackerel? How would you describe it, if there's no indication of any mackerel anywhere?

[Katie Schleit]

We base our decisions on consultation with DFO as well as harvesters.

Over the last decade, we've been involved in the science process alongside industry. Those discussions and assessments have taken into account many indicators of mackerel health, including egg surveys and information from the fisheries such as size, length and catches. Those have all indicated decline over the last 10 years.

That's what I'm basing my information on.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Thank you. I'm aware of that. What I'm not aware of are any changes that science has made in their stock assessments due to shifts in ocean temperatures. I know we have leatherback turtles as far north as Labrador and sharks moving into our northern waters. Species are adapting and moving.

Has DFO changed its approach at all on how it carries out its surveys, to your knowledge?

[Katie Schleit]

Our organization has been advocating that DFO take climate change into account. We definitely agree on that fact.

That question has been put to DFO a lot over the last several years in terms of whether or not they need to change the timing of the egg survey. From the extensive analysis they've done, my understanding is that at the moment the egg survey is timed more specifically to day length and to a suitable range of temperatures in the gulf.

However, as Dr. Robert noted, we are seeing environmental changes that are impacting the stock.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Okay.

You know that there have been numerous accounts of mackerel, from the Bay of Fundy up to Pictou County and the north shore of Quebec, and on the south coast, west coast, east coast and northeast coast of Newfoundland as far north as Groswater Bay, and everyone who's been on the water this year has caught mackerel. They're all saying that mackerel are more plentiful than they've ever seen in their entire lives. Are you saying that these people are all wrong?

[Katie Schleit]

No, not at all. I think that fishermen's observations and accounts are very important. That's why, again, we've sat at the table with them, specifically working on objectives in the rebuilding plan and specifically working on different management measures that we could take into account to rebuild the stock—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

My time's really brief here, and I have another question.

How much has your organization invested in mackerel science in the last 10 years?

[Katie Schleit]

We invest in a lot of science throughout the country. In particular, we're looking at—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Could you explain Ocean North's science program as it pertains to mackerel in Atlantic Canada?

[Katie Schleit]

As it relates to mackerel in Atlantic Canada, I would say at the moment we've invested a lot in the impacts of climate change in Atlantic Canadian fisheries—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Could we put a dollar value on your investment? Could we put a dollar value on that?

[Katie Schleit]

I'm not sure that's relevant, but I'd be happy to have you look through our financial records.

We have invested and put out publications that you can read online—everything is available to the public—on the impacts of climate change on fisheries. We've also invested in looking at how seabirds are perhaps used as indicators of forage fish status. That's another way that we can take in information from the ecosystem.

All that information is available to you.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Are you familiar with the diet of mackerel? When a mackerel swims, it's eating. It's eating cod larvae, lobster larvae, capelin larvae and herring larvae—you name it—all these species that remain in Atlantic waters throughout the year, long after mackerel have migrated through the region.

With the abundance of mackerel—which we can't quantify, I guess—what do you think the impact of a bloom in the mackerel stock will be on the rest of the species in Atlantic Canada if that bloom is as big as we think it is?

[Katie Schleit]

Well, of course we have to take into account current information in terms of assessing the current status of the mackerel, so I'm looking forward to seeing the most recent results from DFO as well as the stakeholder observations, but again, I'm basing my testimony on a decade's worth of evidence from multiple sources that indicates a severe decline in mackerel, and we do expect to still see fish in the water. In fact, we want to see fish in the water. That's part of rebuilding.