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.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
He put up a marker.
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
However, it was there for one or two years, and then it disappeared.
I don't take any chances. I rely on one house as a landmark and from there I know I can fish.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
Are you concerned that Fisheries and Oceans can chase you by helicopter? Is that one of the reasons you don't go a little further to the left or a little further to the right?
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
No, I'm not concerned about any of that, but I do make sure the softshell clams are the minimum length, which is 51 millimetres, and I take no more than the maximum number, which is 300.
An officer even commended me when he came up to see me.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
Have you ever undergone an inspection?
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
That means inspectors are on the ground regularly.
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
There are none right now. We don't see them anymore. I haven't seen them for a long time.
An officer came up to see me about three or four years ago and offered to help me bring up my bucket of softshell clams. I'd already walked one kilometre with my bucket and so I told him I was doing just fine on my own. He was very polite all the same.
He looked at my softshell clams and commended me because all of them were the right length.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
Those are officials from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. They're not—
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
Yes, but I know many people that have been fined and that's disappointing because if they have three extra three softshell clams, those clams will cost them around $250. I'm not sure exactly how much the fine is. In addition, it's hard to be sure you're in the right area. The officers don't really know how to deal with us either, because some answer back.
However, I think we have the right—
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
I've run out of time. However, you referred to—
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Paul Connors Liberal Avalon, NL
Hello. Thank you for coming out. I'm enjoying this. I'm from Newfoundland. We don't have a clam industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Ms. Allard, you mentioned that your brothers and sisters would collect clams and give them to a canning factory or facility.
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
They didn't give them away. It was the early 1960s. They would collect massive amounts of clams too. I believe it used to be motorized. I remember that. There are some statistics here, but I don't really understand them. A bucket of clams used to go for less than $1, and it cost $4 in 1970. The canning factory closed down at one point.
I remember going to harvest clams and having a swim. When the tide was really out, we'd walk up to the end of the sandbank, sit down in the water, do some digging and wrap clams in our sweaters. The sunburn would turn our backs purple. We'd build a bonfire on the beach in the evening and have a friendly clam bake. Those are the things I remember. I'd also go fishing with my father, who was pretty fast, and I had to keep up with him and pick up the clams.
Liberal
Paul Connors Liberal Avalon, NL
Is there a commercial clam fishery now? Does anyone collect these for commercial reasons?
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
No, but that used to happen. Some people would harvest clams and sell them under the table, but they'd get caught. You can't do that anymore.
Liberal
Paul Connors Liberal Avalon, NL
Is this is a recreational food-type fishery that you do for recreation and for your own food?
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
Yes, absolutely. It's also healthy to walk and breathe in the salty air. There's the estuary of Nouvelle River and a ton of birds. Personally, I like going out there to harvest softshell clams as much as I like eating them.
Liberal
Paul Connors Liberal Avalon, NL
What would be a fine that you would receive for going out clam fishing...for a helicopter to chase you and to give you a fine, a penalty?
Fisherwoman, As an Individual
Mr. Roberge said $250 per clam. I've never been fined, but my son has. He's gone to court twice, and he lost his case. Sometimes we go clam digging in spring and in the fall. It's quite cold in the spring. One time, I remember thinking that it was starting to get cold and that my son should have been home already. He had been caught with a few softshell clams over the limit.
Liberal
Fishermen, As an Individual
The best place to harvest clams is in cold water, therefore in the spring and the fall. People don't harvest clams in the summer because they're not edible at that time of year. That’s really important. Yes, there used to be a clam factory in the 1960s, but it closed down. After that, a moratorium on fishing was declared in 1990. There were 48 fishing zones in Chaleur Bay and only seven of them are open today. That set a precedent. The clams are there and they're growing. There are clams there.
The softshell clam I've shown the committee is very small. We don't like to harvest them because they're too small for us. A good clam is three to four inches big. It's funny, because last night in my hotel room, I was watching a show and people were harvesting softshell clams in Maine. I came across it by chance, and I couldn't believe it. I was in Ottawa to talk about softshell clams and I just happened to come across a TV5 show featuring commercial softshell clam harvesting in Maine. They have restaurants there that only serve breaded softshell clams with fries. It's a local delicacy in Maine. We can't have that here in Quebec because we're not allowed to harvest them.
