Fisheries Committee on March 25th, 2026

Evidence of meeting #29 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was site.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Recreational and Traditional Fishing for Softshell Clam (Mya arenaria)

Members speaking

Ginette Petitpas Taylor

Bobby Morrissey

Before the committee

Allard Fisherwoman, As an Individual

Bourdages Fishermen, As an Individual

Roberge Fishermen, As an Individual

Figueroa Researcher and Executive Assistant, Impact on Training, Center for Initiation to Research and Support for Sustainable Development

Courtemanche General Manager, Merinov

Fortin Industrial Researcher-Project Manager, Merinov

Lambert Koizumi Executive Director, Mi'gmaq Wolastoqey Indigenous Fisheries Management Association

Jerome Commercial Fisher, Mi'gmaq Wolastoqey Indigenous Fisheries Management Association

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ernie Klassen Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC

Thank you very much.

It's been interesting hearing about the traditions of your communities. We obviously all want to ensure that these traditions carry on for future generations.

As you alluded to, Ms. Allard, you want to make sure that your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue on in this area. You talked a little bit about what this has meant to you in your raising of your family and so on. Can you talk a little bit more about the soft-shell clam harvesting and what it means to you and your community?

4:40 p.m.

Fisherwoman, As an Individual

Dorina Allard

It was obvious. The clams were in our yard, and it was quite natural to harvest them, because for one, they're delicious, accessible and free. They are a good food source for people living on both sides of Chaleur Bay. I'm right at the end of Chaleur Bay, near Campbellton.

I've always fished, and continue to fish, in Saint‑Omer. I go to the authorized area, but I have to walk a long way carrying all my gear. I love walking in the water, so that's not really a problem. However, it would be nice if the area could be expanded because Nouvelle River goes through Miguasha and that could be dangerous for people who aren't familiar with it. There's no problem at low tide, but if you stay out a little too long, sometimes you have to hurry back.

Going there was the most natural thing to do with my family. Later on, I started going with my children, and we've kept it up ever since. It's not just with my descendants. I still go fishing. April is coming up and it's the right time for it. As another witness said, we eat softshell clams at Easter, and a lot of people dig them up. However, access to the water is very limited. There are too many cars on the roadside and all the people from Miguasha go through private land because no one lives there. However, it would be great to have more access and to carry on these traditions that have been there since time immemorial among the Mi'kmaq communities, who are quite near our community.

I live in Maria. There's one community in Gesgapegiag and another in Listuguj, and both are close to Chaleur Bay. The Restigouche River flows into Chaleur Bay. These are ancestral practices and I hope they will go on. I've also never heard anything about poisoning or anything of the sort, and so we have some questions about that.

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ernie Klassen Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC

Thank you very much.

I'm also wondering about the inventory or the stock of the clams over time. How would you rate that right now? Are there fewer clams than there were years ago?

Mr. Bourdages, I think you wanted to answer that one. I'll throw that one at you.

4:45 p.m.

Fishermen, As an Individual

Gaston Bourdages

There are 41 of 48 zones closed, and there's no fishing there. What are the clams doing? Well, they're growing bigger. They're not being harvested.

Back when the Société de développement de l'industrie maricole committee was chaired by Marcel Landry, the former assistant deputy minister for the regions, there was an opportunity to harvest 150 tonnes of softshell clams per year, but unfortunately, Mr. Landry did not see this harvesting project through to completion. It was a commercial harvest for which we wanted to open a decontamination plant for certain clams that didn't meet standards.

Where I come from, when we talk about “walking on the flats”, we mean the spot where there's no more water and there's sand. You can see the holes the clams make to breathe, and you're constantly stepping in those holes. That means there's a lot of clams there. You've got to experience that at least once in your life. By the way, I'd like to invite you all to tour this area to see what it's really like and go clam digging. I think we wouldn't be here having this conversation because we'd all be out there digging up clams.

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ernie Klassen Liberal South Surrey—White Rock, BC

You said that 41 zones out of 48 zones are closed. Do you think that all 41 zones could be reopened?

4:45 p.m.

Fishermen, As an Individual

Gaston Bourdages

With studies and analyses that meet government standards, I'm sure that we could reopen over 75% of these areas. The proof is that in the case of the Bonaventure area, which is closed, the Comité ZIP proved in 2009 that it could be reopened sector by sector. That was not done, and it's been over 20 years now.

We could have been harvesting clams in that area since 2010, as the Comité ZIP recommended. The clams are still there. The water changes twice a day with the tide. It rises and falls twice a day. So, pollution…. When we take a bath, we change the water right away. In this case, the water is changed twice a day. Softshell clams filter pure water every day.

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Patrick Weiler

Thank you very much, Mr. Bourdages.

Mr. Deschênes, you have the floor for six minutes.

4:45 p.m.

Bloc

Alexis Deschênes Bloc Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

First, I'd like to thank my colleagues for agreeing to discuss this issue, which is extremely important to my constituents back home in Chaleur Bay.

I'd like to thank Mr. Bourdages, Ms. Allard and Mr. Roberge for joining us. I'm very pleased to hear the Chaleur Bay accent here in Ottawa. I feel less alone.

I'm delighted that we can discuss the issue of softshell clam harvesting, which is very important, because I hear about it almost on a monthly basis.

I'd like us to start the discussion with the issue that arose in 1990, when a moratorium was declared. That's when the federal government closed all softshell clam harvesting sites in the Gaspésie and then reopened some of them later. I'll go around the table first to hear your thoughts.

Do you remember how things were before then? How many sites were open in Chaleur Bay before the 1990s?

We can start with Ms. Allard or Mr. Bourdages.