Good afternoon. Thank you for the invitation to appear before this committee to discuss a sensitive subject of great concern to our snow crab fishers in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
As you know, the snow crab fishery is certainly one of the best managed fisheries in the world. A few of the current management measures include the weighing of all landings at the wharf, 20% at‑sea‑observer coverage for fishing trips, the closure of quadrants in cases of significant soft‑shell crab presence and area closures when right whales are observed. Only adult snow crabs with a carapace size of 95 millimetres or more are harvested. An annual survey allows us to estimate commercial biomass and monitor population trends. The quotas for the snow crab fishery in the southern gulf are based on a decision‑making framework incorporating the reference points from a precautionary approach to ensure that stocks remain in the healthy zone at all times.
As you know, illegal landings of snow crab aren't included in the official landing data of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Illegal landings lead to overexploitation of the stock. This undermines its reproductive capacity, particularly during the declining phase of the population when the residual biomass is decreasing. It should be noted that the snow crab fishery in the southern gulf is a recruitment fishery. It depends on annual recruitment of 75% or more. The snow crab fishery is very dependent on annual recruitment. As a result, additional pressures on recruitment could have a negative impact on the profitability of our fleets and the economy of our coastal regions. Remember the impact of the collapse of landings in 1989, when yields were only 6,950 tonnes in zone 12.
Following Radio‑Canada's Enquête broadcast on lobster poaching, we're concerned about the extent of illegal lobster landings and the sophisticated means employed by poachers to carry them out. In fact, the same players have access to the snow crab fishery following the decision to share the resource in 2003.
Illegal landings are underestimated in the snow crab fishery in the southern gulf. Normally, in a healthy population, the natural mortality rate for commercial‑sized adult crab is between 20% and 25%. In the southern gulf, the natural mortality rate is 35% to 45%. One of the reasons mentioned in the annual review by the science sector is illegal landings. These illegal landings increase the exploitation rate and reduce the residual biomass year after year. This affects the reproductive capacity of the stock by skewing the ratio of large spawners. This will lead to long‑term genetic changes in the population and will significantly reduce future recruitment.
What concerns us most is the incentive for these inshore fishers to land illegal catches of snow crab. The quota is allocated to non‑profit associations. These associations then distribute the quota annually through a lottery to some of its members. The inshore fishers selected to fish part of the association's allocation receive a very small portion of the market price. The association keeps most of it. As a result, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is funding non‑profit inshore associations to the tune of millions of dollars annually, while the mid‑shore associations receive no revenue at all.
For example, in 2025, the price paid to fishers ranged from $7 to $8 per pound for snow crab. The inshore fisher made $1.50, and the association received $5.50 to $6.50 for each pound. Doesn't this create an incentive to sell snow crab under the table in order to receive the full market price?
At any rate, the lobster fishery has become highly lucrative. They no longer need this allocation, which was meant to support a fleet reorganization in 2003. This objective was achieved only minimally, if at all.
We're working very closely with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Discussions are currently under way on how to limit illegal landings of snow crabs. We request that the number of wharves designated as landing sites be limited to improve the dockside monitoring, given the limited number of fishery officers. We're asking for an increase in the number of fishery officers and for the installation of cameras on all designated wharves so that fishery officers can observe them at all times. We're also calling for the use of drones and the installation of cameras on inshore vessels or for 100% at‑sea‑observer coverage for inshore fishers' fishing trips.
In the Acadian peninsula, as in other regions of the maritime provinces and Quebec, lobster and snow crab are the only major commercial species remaining that generate millions of dollars for the economy of our coastal regions. Harsher fines are necessary for fishers who break the rules in order to significantly reduce this illegal activity, which affects the resource for future generations. Thank you.