Good afternoon, honourable members of Parliament. It is an honour to be here today to present the impacts of climate change and to discuss the effects Fiona had on some areas where my membership reside.
My name is Michael Barron. I'm the president of the Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association and a board member of the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation and the United Fisheries Conservation Alliance, the UFCA.
Also, I am an independent owner and operator who fishes lobster, halibut and snow crab from a small coastal community in Ingonish, in northern Cape Breton.
Fiona arrived on September 24 and hit Nova Scotia as the lowest-pressure recorded storm in Canadian history at 932, millibars. For comparison, in 2019, Dorian was 958 millibars and Hurricane Juan in 2003 was 973 millibars. Once Fiona hit Nova Scotia waters, the pressure difference could have caused warmer than average water temperatures, which would help fuel intensity. Historically, in September, the Gulf Stream tends to bring slightly more relaxed waters to the Maritimes. However, that was not the case this past September, as the jet stream seemed to carry warm water from the tropics further up the Atlantic coast than average for the time of year, which could definitely be a result of climate change.
Fiona created a considerable amount of damage for the short period she graced Cape Breton with her appearance. As a result, some of our members, from Gabarus to Bay St. Lawrence, experienced significant damage. Some fisherman lost wharves with traps that were stored for the season, along with roads leading to wharves that were washed out entirely. There was an extensive amount of sand washed into one harbour, and at this point it isn't known if vessels can actually utilize the harbour.
These harbours have been divested for several years and have left many unanswered questions and slow reactions in terms of clear concise relief opportunities. In some other ports, boats that could not get hauled out of water also suffered some damage.
The community of Ingonish, where I reside and fish out of, also received a considerable amount of wharf damage. This wharf had been scheduled for repair for several years, but the repairs kept getting put off. The barrier wall that protects the harbour in the southern part of my town has had a void in it for the last five years, and this has quadrupled in size since. It is to the point now where the ocean flows through the opening every high tide. This void allowed an eight-foot tide surge to cover the only southbound road in and out of our town. It reached people's homes and forced them to evacuate along that shoreline.
Further north, the only fish plant received a considerable amount of damage, which I am sure you have all seen throughout the media. A road and a bridge were washed out entirely on September 24 and were not replaced until November 8.
Storms of this magnitude have been known to have a lingering effect on fish's behavioural patterns. After Dorian blew through in 2019, the ocean was a desert for almost two months. As a result, the groundfish longline fleet had many unsuccessful halibut trips. In the fishing industry there is always uncertainty and never a guarantee to make a paycheque when you cut your lines clear to go fishing.
Since Fiona, the same has happened to the fleet, and we have been left wondering when things will return to normal. The pressure drop seems to have a dramatic effect on the migration pattern of the halibut, but not just the halibut. Lobster fishermen in fall and winter districts can attest to different behavioural patterns. High operating costs this season are leaving many longline boats tied to the wharf, causing there to be less high-quality protein available.
Fiona only added to the deteriorating coastline off Cape Breton. Year after year, post-tropical storms and violent northeast winter storms have left many coastal communities waiting for an unrecoverable event. They all seem to be stemming from climate change, but unfortunately, given the recent destruction caused by Fiona, the writing is on our shorelines and in our waters. Climate change is here, and it is time to build the infrastructure needed to protect the pristine coastlines known worldwide for their vistas and beauty.
It is time for our political parties to work with small craft harbours to help protect our coastal communities, which rely on these aging and failing infrastructures. It is time to build them bigger and better, and it is wiser to deal with the many changes from both climate and changing industry.
Thank you to the committee for studying the impact of Fiona and climate change on Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec, and I look forward to your questions.