Evidence of meeting #69 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was quota.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Mirau, according to your explanation or description of your business and the relationships you have with various fishing stakeholders, it is going well.
Do you know of any systems where it is not going so well?
4:50 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aero Trading Co. Ltd.
I'm sorry, but what does “other system” mean?
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Is there another way of operating that is similar to yours, but where it doesn't work as well? Are there other systems somewhat like yours where you think it's not going as well?
4:50 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aero Trading Co. Ltd.
I think there are varying degrees of success in the industry. I think it is a very difficult industry [Technical difficulty—Editor]. I will agree with Ms. Strobel. Fishermen have a difficult time, and so do companies. It's a very difficult environment. You have to be nimble, flexible, resilient.
In some years, perhaps there may be too many fishermen trying to access a limited resource. As they will suffer, the same thing holds true for the companies. That's why there are fewer of us. There have been too many companies and too much capacity. It's a consolidation that I feel will continue to happen.
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mrs. Strobel, if you had one priority to suggest to the committee at the end of this meeting, what would it be?
May 18th, 2023 / 4:50 p.m.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Skipper Otto Community Supported Fishery
My priority would be fleet separation. If this committee would recommend to the government and to the minister to implement a fleet separation and owner-operator provision in British Columbia, I think this would be a very important step toward stemming the tide of the disappearance of harvesters and the loss of money in our coastal communities.
To me, it's such a simple example on the east coast, in the inshore fleet. I know you will hear testimony next week from Richard Williams, who will provide a very compelling comparative analysis between the financial benefits on the east coast versus the west coast.
I simply don't understand why we would not be protecting harvesters in British Columbia in the same way that we protect them on the east coast. I think this is very important. There are lots of other things that we can and must address, but I think we must start here if we're going to have anything left of the small-scale fleet in B.C.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Madame Desbiens.
We'll now go to Mr. MacGregor, for two and a half minutes, to end our first hour of testimony.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
Thank you very much, Chair.
Dr. Christensen, your briefing notes say, “The move from owner-operator to corporate dominance has been devastating for rural fishing communities.... Communities matter. Rural coastal communities are dying throughout BC, and that notably includes First Nation communities losing livelihood and their traditional knowledge about fishing.”
My riding of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford has both the southwest coast and the east coast of Vancouver Island. That kind of statement resonates with me, because I know exactly the types of small communities you're talking about.
You yourself grew up in a fishing community. In the final minute and a half that I have, can you talk a bit about what it's like when the local community itself is employed in the fishery and it receives the profit? How are the livelihoods of the community supported?
4:55 p.m.
Professor, As an Individual
It's true. I grew up in a town with 500 fishing boats in Denmark. Today, there are about 30 left, and fishing is no longer an important aspect. I think it has major consequences for the whole community.
I would like to refer to Alert Bay, which was a first nation town that was totally dependent on fisheries, if we look back. I heard estimates that there used to be 10,000 years of fishing experience in that community. Today, there are about 500 years of fishing experience, which means 10-15 people are left who have experience in fishing. That's why I say the small communities are dying. The experience is being lost, and with it a way of life.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ken McDonald
Thank you, Mr. MacGregor. We're caught up against time to shut down the first hour of testimony.
I want to say a big thank you, of course, to the witnesses—Mr. Christensen, Mr. Mirau and Ms. Strobel—for sharing their knowledge with us here today. Hopefully it will play a big part in our final report when we get to actually doing it.
We're going to suspend for a few minutes while we go in camera.
Again, I'd like to thank the witnesses for coming and for sharing their thoughts.
[Proceedings continue in camera]