Fisheries Committee on April 15th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 31 of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

I want to start by acknowledging that we are gathered on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people and by expressing gratitude that we are doing the important work of this committee on lands they've stewarded since time immemorial.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108, the committee is meeting to commence its study on the factors determining the opening and closing dates of marine harvesting seasons.

Today's meeting is being held in a hybrid format, in accordance with the rules of procedure. Members may participate in person or via Zoom.

Before we continue, I would like to ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines written on the cards on the table. The measures are in place to help prevent audio and feedback incidents and to protect the health and safety of all participants, but particularly the interpreters.

Pursuant to our routine motions, I can advise all committee members that the witnesses appearing virtually have successfully completed the required technical testing.

I'll make a few comments for the benefit of the witnesses and the members.

Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mic, and please mute yourself when you're not speaking.

Regarding interpretation, those participating in the meeting via Zoom can choose between floor, French or English at the bottom of their screen. Those in the room can use the earpiece and select the desired channel.

This is a reminder that all comments should be addressed through the chair.

With that, I'd like to welcome our witnesses.

Appearing by video conference, from the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association, we have Ian MacPherson, executive director. In person, from the Sport Fishing Institute of BC, we have Owen Bird, executive director.

We're going to begin with opening statements from the witnesses, for five minutes or less, starting with Mr. MacPherson.

[Ian MacPherson, Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association]

Thank you, Chair.

I would once again like to thank the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans for inviting the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association to participate in today's session.

Although the topic of season start and end dates may appear to be mundane, the scheduling of this session is both timely and important.

As an organization that represents over 1,250 independent businesses, we are laser-focused on negotiating season dates that maximize the potential of our limited season fisheries.

Along with many other Canadians across Canada, we are experiencing changes in climate and seasons. These changes can have direct impacts on fishing incomes, so we need to have better mechanisms in place to assess and evaluate these changes, as well as to look at date shifts that make environmental and economic sense.

There is an ever-increasing discussion taking place around season start dates. The challenge is to incorporate the best options but also keep financial impacts in mind.

For example, a number of Nova Scotia lobster fishing areas have requested season start dates that are significantly earlier than historical season dates. The shifting of a season start by up to two weeks or more can have significant impacts on markets when these changes overlap existing seasons. We are not advocating for season start dates that cannot change; rather, we are advocating for a holistic approach to be used to assess how existing markets will be impacted if significant quantities of product are landed at a different time of the year.

History tells us that if supply outstrips demand, prices can be impacted, and lower-value products are produced in these situations. Date changes must be backed up by equal parts of current science, respect and inclusion of harvester knowledge and observations, documented votes and consideration of global markets.

Today, we would also like to address the lack of a consistent process for votes related to resource management. It is important that a fair and consistent process be created. The protocol the PEIFA applies ensures that all harvesters have the option to participate in a vote, using a ballot system that prevents duplicate votes and a counting protocol that involves a properly scrutinized count and results sharing. We feel that this is an area of increasing importance and that it is time for a consistent process to be put in place for all jurisdictions and fishing organizations.

Today, we have addressed our concerns around season dates and the voting process for such changes. We would also like to address our concerns around extended seasons or significantly increased activity in current seasons.

The PEIFA is concerned about the approximately 100 lobster licences that have been added in the Gaspé region to the spring fishery. This defies the parameters of a pilot project, and we declare that a holistic assessment approach is required to fully assess the impacts on the overall fishery in other seasons.

We suggest that all harvesters participate in the long-established and approved Department of Fisheries and Oceans fishing seasons.

With a collective focus on the next generation of fishers, it is our responsibility that healthy stocks be maintained and depleted stocks be allowed to be rebuilt. This will take an overarching approach and the commitment of all harvesters.

In summary, we know that the only constant we can count on is change. We also know we are in a period of unpredictable climate and economic uncertainty. The challenge is how we manage these changes so that one fishery does not benefit at the expense of others. We also need to come up with a better process to document votes on important decisions. Finally, all harvesters are stewards of the water for our next generations. We must ensure any season shifts are properly researched, discussed, voted on and honoured.

This concludes our committee presentation, and I welcome any questions the committee members may have.

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Mr. MacPherson.

With that, we're now going to hear from Mr. Bird for five minutes or less.

[Owen Bird, Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before this committee once again.

My name is Owen Bird. I'm here representing the Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia.

I've spent my entire personal and professional life in and around the recreational fishery on the B.C. coast: growing up and continuing as a participant with friends and family, as a fishing guide and as a manager of service provider operations. Now I'm the executive director of the SFI, an organization established in 1980 that's committed to the protection, enhancement and promotion of sustainable recreational fisheries, primarily along the B.C. coast.

With this background, I appreciate the committee's decision to examine the factors influencing the DFO's decisions on opening and closing harvest seasons, as well as the opportunity to note the consequences that delays or anticipated changes in those decisions have on participants' livelihoods and the broader economy.

This study is relevant to all fisheries, though the consequences of opening and closing dates vary significantly from one sector to another. In the commercial fisheries, success is measured by efficiency, the ability to harvest quota and the value generated. In the recreational fishery, the entire sector depends on one thing: a predictable, reliable opportunity over a 12-month season. It is this opportunity, not the volume of fish caught or harvested, that attracts and drives participation, supports business operations and planning, and underpins the cultural, social and economic fabric of coastal communities.

This distinction underlies why it is essential to consider the unique needs of each fishery. A quota or share-based management approach for the recreational fishery would be devastating. It would require time-sensitive catch accounting and introduce a level of instability and variability that would undermine the benefits the public fishery provides. Such an approach would create uncertainty around opening and closing dates, removing the stability that is essential for the recreational sector to function.

The recreational salmon fishery is the most valuable fishery in British Columbia and one of the most valuable in Canada. Its strength comes from the participation of roughly 650,000 licence-holders fishing in both fresh water and tidal waters, who generate an economic ecosystem built on long, predictable seasons and a reasonable expectation of opportunity.

The public fishery directly supports more than 9,100 jobs, contributes nearly $1.3 billion annually to British Columbia's economy, sustains small businesses and attracts visitors from around the world. Beyond the economic importance, B.C.'s public fishery plays a cultural and social role, connecting people and the community to the ocean and fostering the stewardship of marine resources. Recreational fisheries and fishery tourism depend on healthy ecosystems and strongly support conservation measures that are effective, science-based and implemented in ways that are reliable and sustainable for all.

The socio-economic power of the public fishery and recreational fishing tourism comes from the ability to plan. A predictable opportunity, established with full seasons, allows small coastal communities to prepare for visitors and business, hire staff and maintain essential marine and boating infrastructure, such as marinas, marine sales, boatyards, fuel docks and tackle shops. These and other local businesses and services rely on advanced bookings, confidence that seasons will stay open as expected and assurances that any in-season closures will occur only for conservation reasons. When decisions are delayed or communication is inconsistent, the impacts ripple immediately throughout local economies.

Decades of recreational catch data give managers the ability to reliably estimate and adjust the harvest well in advance. With small, adaptable limits and selective fishing tools, the recreational sector consistently accounts for only a modest share of B.C.'s total salmon harvest. This predictability should continue to guide management decisions and inform how and when public fishing opportunities are communicated.

While conservation objectives are essential and widely supported, the uncertainty and inconsistent communication surrounding opening and closing decisions create significant concern and anxiety for those who depend on or wish to access marine resources. Delays in decision-making do not just inconvenience business; they jeopardize livelihoods. They undermine business and tourism planning and weaken the economic stability of coastal communities.

Thank you again for the opportunity to speak today. I look forward to your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Mr. Bird.

This concludes our opening statements. We're going to start the first round of questions, the six-minute round, with Mr. Arnold.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to both witnesses for your testimony today.

I want to start with Mr. Bird, please. In your experience as a fishing guide—you mentioned that you've done this for a number of years—how far ahead were clients booking vacation time from their workplace, and how far ahead were they typically planning trips?

[Owen Bird]

Thanks for the question, Mel.

Not only was I a fishing guide, but I was also involved in managing service provider resorts, including sales. I can tell you with a great deal of confidence, both from a professional perspective and from my personal perspective, that trips are often booked as many as two or three years in advance. Depending on the fishing outing, they are looking down the road and expect that this is something they will be able to do.

The variety of opportunities in British Columbia means that trips can sometimes be quite costly, so people book a long time in advance. They want to have confidence in their being able to enjoy the trip.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

This covers the people who are purchasing these trips and so on. Moving to the people who are selling the trips or the gear that's required—a marina buying small boats to take clients out, making sure they have enough guides on staff or making sure that the tackle shops have the gear they need—how far in advance do they have to make those arrangements for staffing, equipment and sales items?

[Owen Bird]

In many ways, planning for the next typical tourism season, which extends from May to September, begins the moment the season they are in is completed. They are beginning to look at supply arrangements, staff, advertising, bookings and all of those things, so it happens well in advance.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

What would be the impact if there wasn't some certainty that the seasons would run for times similar to those of the previous year or years?

[Owen Bird]

I've heard this a number of times in recent days. Imagine a family planning a trip to Disneyland, and when they went ahead and made their booking six months in advance, the advice was, “We're fairly sure we'll be open, but there's a quota on the number of visitors who come to California.” This would not sit well with anybody, and this is a very similar situation.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

What would clients do if there was another location with more certainty?

[Owen Bird]

That is precisely it. They would very likely look elsewhere for stability and reliability in where they could plan their trip and spend their money.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Can you give me any information about your experience with what happened last year on the west coast? We had a superabundant return of sockeye salmon that was far over early expectations.

Was there any additional opportunity issued, or were there delays in getting the opportunity available?

[Owen Bird]

This is a fine example of the impacts and challenges of unclear decisions being made about fishery openings. As you said, there was a tremendous abundance of sockeye salmon and a great interest for the recreational fishery to have an opportunity to catch it. However, because of a variety of issues that were not clear to the public, that opening was not communicated in any kind of timely fashion to allow people to readily take advantage of it or consider making a trip to come and take advantage of what is not a regular occurrence.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Has the Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia estimated the economic opportunity that may have been lost?

[Owen Bird]

It has not been done on the sockeye fishery specifically. It's possible that one of the speakers a bit later will have some more information on that, but we don't have information on it specifically.

As I mentioned in my remarks, it's a $1.3-billion industry. This is spending that occurs to get to the opportunity. It's not based on the value of the fish but on the opportunity. Some of the $1.3 billion was lost because there was not an opportunity to fish sockeye. Particularly because it's in the Lower Mainland, it's very accessible.

With this not being communicated well, money was not spent and it wasn't realized.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Has this been a trend of greater uncertainty over any length of time?

[Owen Bird]

Yes. It's challenging, because we're involved in seeing how these decisions come to pass, but from a public perspective....

For example, uncertainty about killer whale regulations—which have been talked about but not identified in full—has a very negative effect, because people hear tidbits of information. They think there will be regulations enforced because of killer whales. What does that mean? In effect, people will ask, “Am I going to be able to fish if I come in August, because I've heard this stuff about killer whales?”

The uncertainty that goes along with this is very damaging.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Mr. Arnold.

Next, we'll go to Mr. Morrissey for six minutes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Thank you, Chair.

My question will be for Mr. MacPherson from the east coast. Welcome back to the committee.

In your opening statement, you referenced the scheduling of seasons and the changing climate as having an impact. I believe we're seeing that this spring, when the lobster season will be scheduled to open almost a week earlier. Is that correct?

[Ian MacPherson]

Compared to some traditional dates, yes.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Is lobster the only species we're seeing that could be impacted by changing water temperatures and changing climate affecting the opening and closing dates in the area you represent?

[Ian MacPherson]

Certainly, we've just seen snow crab being delayed this year. We've had more of a typical ice coverage than in the past few years.

It's an excellent point. It can go both ways. It can delay the start or, depending on the conditions, potentially precipitate an earlier opening. Those are the big ones that we deal with as an association.