Fisheries Committee on Nov. 18th, 2022

[Jamie Fox]

Our people start hitting the water in mid-March. It's as simple as that.

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

Okay. Thank you.

If the others can provide a reply in writing to the committee, it would be appreciated.

Further, for Mr. Bragg, to meet that deadline, when do repairs need to begin and start to happen on harbours in your province?

[Derrick Bragg]

In the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, that needs to start now. As you can imagine, there's a global shortage of almost all types of supplies, so we have to get in.... Many of these wharves will require cement work. We don't do a lot of cement work in the wintertime.

Jamie is saying March, and our boats are on the water in early April and mid-March, so we're in a similar situation in that part of the province where we had damage this time around. We're fishing at almost the same time as they are in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

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

Thank you.

Now, for Mr. Craig, have federal funds been earmarked for rebuilding after Fiona in your province?

[Steve Craig]

The short answer is yes. We don't know the degree that they are. There is $100 million that has been provided, through ACOA, of the $300 million.

I'd just like to say that the boats in my most productive area of the province are going to be fishing in fewer than two weeks.

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

Okay. Thank you.

The fourth question is—and again, I'd like each of you to reply to all four of these questions if you haven't replied verbally—have federal funds been delivered in your provinces at all after the promises that were made?

I'll allow Ms. Johnson to respond to that one.

[Margaret Johnson]

Well, in actual fact, I think I should defer that to one of my colleagues because, as I said, the disaster finance assistance we've had in the province has helped most of ours, but let's talk to people who need a bit more help.

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

Okay.

I believe my half of the five minutes is up.

Mr. Bragdon is next.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Thank you, Mel.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

In the wake of a storm and the aftermath of a storm, there's an old expression that seems most appropriate right now: Many are those who curse the wind, but what real leaders do is adjust the sails. We have a lot of cursing of the wind. We hate what's happened.

We don't like the storms, but I think there are two ways of doing this. Either we can adjust, we can adapt and we can mitigate, or we can just choose to continue to curse the wind, increase taxes and hope for something to get better.

I think the best approach is strategic investment. That's what I'm hearing from you witnesses here. It's strategic investment in key areas of infrastructure to get our coastal communities up to speed and bring the wharves and infrastructure where they need to be so that they're ready for future storms, which are inevitable and are going to be coming, no matter how much we want to curse the wind.

Minister Fox, I know that you've put in a lot of work around some infrastructure planning for the future and what it's going to require. Can you speak to that briefly here in my remaining time?

[Jamie Fox]

Thank you, Richard.

Basically what we need is A and B programs under DFO to be revisited and re-evaluated for the future. We need an immediate infrastructure amount put into Atlantic Canada to prepare our wharves for climate change and to make sure they support a blue economy. As I said, I think this is at least a $750-million request that DFO needs to look at with Treasury Board to ensure that Atlantic Canada is supported as climate change occurs and continues.

I want to touch on one thing very quickly, Richard, and that is science. Science is key to this. We need to look at our fleet of vessels that are within DFO and ensure those vessels are on the water doing the required science to find out how fish stocks are affected, how fish stocks are moving and, especially as temperature rises, what is going to be happening when it comes to mammals coming into our areas and around our coastal areas.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Okay. That's great.

Mr. Chair, how much time is left or do I have any?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

You have 20 seconds.

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Well, thanks to all the witnesses. You've given us valuable input. I think what's obviously becoming clear is that we need a practical and, yes, science-based approach towards adaptation and mitigation, and a whole lot less talking to the wind.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Bragdon. That was dead-on for time. Good for you.

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

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

I thank all the ministers for being with us today. We are happy to see them.

Ms. Johnson and those who know me know that I come from a coastal community, a fishing community. My father was a fisherman his whole life. Having spent a lot of time on the docks, I know how important small craft harbours are to communities.

Before I begin, I'd like to put the numbers in perspective. Everybody likes numbers. In your discussions, it will be very important for you to consider what has been done.

From 2006 to 2015, under the former Conservative government, $499 million was invested in small craft harbours in Atlantic Canada over a nine-year period. On average, this represents $55 million per year.

From 2016 to 2022, under the Liberal government, $884 million was invested in small craft harbours in Atlantic Canada over a six-year period. On average, that's $147 million per year.

We are obviously not here to determine which government did the most and which did the least. What we want to see is even more money invested in small craft harbours in every region.

Ms. Johnson, since you are a New Brunswick native, I will definitely ask you some questions.

Have you assessed the damage that the ports in your area have suffered? I know that is usually the responsibility of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but you may have done an estimate on your end.

We know that southeastern New Brunswick was hit harder than northern New Brunswick, although there was damage there, as well.

What's your estimate on that?

What should we do to help coastal communities as quickly as possible?

[Margaret Johnson]

That's a very good question, Mr. Cormier.

The morning after the storm, I was on the phone immediately with the fishers, whether it be aquaculture or oyster or whatever sector we were dealing with, to see what the damage and impact was to our fishermen.

I have not been up to the north yet to see what the damage was to small harbours. However, they've sent me lots of pictures. There are some who are in dire need up in the Baie du Vin area where we have some stuff that requires serious attention.

Minister Craig talked about the fact that we have some processing units in the southeast where the waters came right up to the doors. Bless their hearts, it didn't manage to get in, so they've done very well.

None of the monies have come forward yet. We're working with the federal government to assess how much money is going to be required to bring these things up to scratch and to get them in a position where they're going to be safe.

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

Earlier, you spoke briefly about science. In your opinion, more scientific studies should be done, especially in the area of fisheries. I agree with you on that.

I don't want to take the blame away from the federal government or Fisheries and Oceans Canada, but you are probably aware that the climate change funding that you mentioned earlier comes from carbon pricing or the price on pollution.

If memory serves, New Brunswick has received $170 million over the past three years. This money is given directly to the province to do with as it pleases.

According to the figures, a large portion of that money, 87%, was given to New Brunswickers in the form of tax cuts. This money could also be used to develop science programs in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada or the federal government.

Do you agree that a portion of the funds could be used to establish such programs?

As all the members and ministers here today have said, we need to work together to get more scientific studies done on fish stocks. In addition, we need to build infrastructure that is more resilient to climate change than the existing infrastructure.

[Margaret Johnson]

Absolutely. We want to be working with our federal counterparts all the way. The only way we can do this moving forward is to make sure we're all on the same page and we're using our combined resources to give our fishers the best service we can. So we're definitely wanting to work with them.

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

Do you plan to apply to the federal government under the disaster financial assistance arrangements?

Will you assess the damage and submit an application to the federal government to pay a portion of the costs?

[Margaret Johnson]

Yes.

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

That's great.

Thank you.

[Margaret Johnson]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Cormier. Your time is up by six seconds.

I want to thank our four esteemed provincial witnesses here today for sharing their knowledge with the committee. A huge thanks to you.

I'll let you sign off now as we suspend for a couple of minutes to change to our group for the second hour.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We're back.

I will make a few comments for the benefit of the new witnesses.

Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mike. Please mute your mike when you are not speaking

For interpretation, for those on Zoom you have the choice at the bottom of your screen of floor, English or French. For those in the room, of course you can use the earpiece and select the desired channel as we've always done. I will remind you that all comments should be addressed through the chair.

I would now like to welcome our witnesses. Representing Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation, we have Ariel Smith, coastal and marine team lead. Representing the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association, we are joined by Molly Aylward, executive director; Mitch Jollimore, fisherman; and Gerard Watts, Covehead Harbour Authority.

Thank you for taking the time to appear today. You each have five minutes for an opening statement.

Ms. Smith, when you're ready, you can lead off with five minutes or less, please.

[Ariel Smith, Coastal and Marine Team Lead, Coastal Action]

Thank you.

I'd like to thank the committee for inviting me to present today. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts and concerns on behalf of Coastal Action as related to the impact of the climate crisis in Atlantic Canada.

I'm the coastal marine lead at Coastal Action. Coastal Action is a charitable organization in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, that believes in safeguarding a healthy environment for future generations through research, education, action and community engagement.

Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear, known as ghost gear, is a persistent environmental problem. Making up 60% of macro marine debris, ghost gear impacts marine habitats, causes entanglements and breaks into microplastics. Climate change and severe storms have a direct impact on the creation of ghost gear in Atlantic Canada. Already affected by hurricanes each year, as we know, the region is vulnerable to severe weather events that threaten our coasts and livelihoods. With annual storms only increasing in severity, the opportunities for fishing gear to be lost at sea are amplifying.

Ghost gear can be generated in a myriad of ways, including unfavourable environmental conditions, gear conflicts, poor gear condition and inappropriate disposal at sea. Such conditions as high-intensity wave action, tides, currents and bottom type can cause losses by damaging or severing gear. Inappropriate disposal of fishing gear at sea takes place when unwanted gear is abandoned. This may be due to the burden of hauling gear to shore when there is a lack of accessible drop-offs and gear returns on land.

Coastal Action has done ghost gear work since 2020, and is supported by DFO's ghost gear fund. We've retrieved gear from Yarmouth to Lunenburg and in the Minas Basin. During our 2022 season, our team retrieved over 17 tonnes of debris from the ocean and close to five tonnes of gear from shorelines. Eight commercial fishers conducted 70 days of retrieval from mid-September to early November. Our field techs collected high-quality data on bycatch and gear types and weight. Fishers provide us with invaluable knowledge on retrieval areas and connect us with other captains in their communities.

Gear that cannot be returned to owners is repurposed, recycled or disposed of responsibly. In addition, we are piloting the recycling of four tonnes of end-of-life fishing rope into synthetic diesel fuel. Our team has developed communication content and published articles to describe findings to industry, government and the public. Prevention and stewardship are woven into this work. Each year more captains are joining the project as knowledge of the issue spreads. As a result, where once the fishing community felt hesitant, they are now actively part of the solution.

Climate-related events will further impact ghost gear abundance over time, which means that continued effort in Atlantic Canada is needed. For example, we are currently working in Cape Breton under DFO's hurricane Fiona relief to conduct ghost gear cleanups at shorelines hardest hit by the storm.

Recycling ghost gear is in its infancy, specifically for end-of-life rope. In 2020 we set up nine rope collection bins at wharves across Nova Scotia, and in a matter of weeks they were overflowing. This points to strong support for a rope collection system where fishers can drop off rope rather than haul it to the landfill or have it end up at sea. Coastal communities have expressed a keen interest in the project that would collect and recycle gear, but there's little support long-term.

To close the ghost gear loop in Canada, more support is needed for new recycling initiatives. Opportunities are present outside of Canada; however, supporting efforts within the country will build capacity, strengthen community efforts and reduce carbon emissions. Ghost gear will continue to put a strain on waste management if efforts are not made to develop a circular system.

Community groups and environmental non-profits like Coastal Action have been dedicated to the issue of ghost gear. Efforts are becoming more effective, but there is more work to be done. The climate crisis will continue to impact our coasts if action is not sustained. As stakeholders focus on retrieval and recycling efforts, we must also see the connection between ghost gear and the protection of shorelines through nature-based infrastructure. Such infrastructure, that works with our coastal environments rather than working against them, is vitally important. There are many opportunities to build resilience across sectors and implement solutions, but we must act fast to protect our vulnerable coasts.

Thank you.