Fisheries Committee on April 20th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Colleagues, I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 32 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

I will start by acknowledging that we are gathered on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people and by expressing gratitude that we're 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 continue its study of the factors determining opening and closing dates of marine harvesting seasons.

Pursuant to the Standing Orders, today's meeting is being held in a hybrid format. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.

Before we continue, I would ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines written on the table.

Pursuant to our routine motions, I can advise committee members that all witnesses have gone through the required testing.

For the benefit of members and witnesses, 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 are not speaking.

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

As a reminder, all comments should be addressed through the chair.

For members in the room, if you wish to speak, please raise your hand. For members participating via Zoom, please use the “raise hand” function. The clerk and I will manage the speaking order as best we can, and we appreciate your patience in this regard.

Before we go to our witnesses, Mr. Small wants to raise a point.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Before we get going, this study motion called for a two-hour appearance by Minister Thompson. I'm wondering if the committee can get an update on whether she's been asked. Will she in fact be coming to this committee to testify on this study?

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

I'll turn it over to the clerk to respond to that.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Maxime Ricard]

The invitation was sent to her office when we started the study, and I don't have an answer yet.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

With that, I would like to welcome our witnesses.

Participating via video conference, we have Melissa Collier, a commercial fish harvester.

We then have Daniel Desbois, president of the Association des crabiers gaspésiens inc.

We're going to start with the opening statements for five minutes or less, beginning with Melissa Collier.

[Melissa Collier, Commercial Fish Harvester, As an Individual]

Hello. Thank you for having me here today.

My name is Melissa Collier, and I'm a commercial fisherman. My husband and I fish off of our 42-foot boat, the Lisa Jess. Our home port is Campbell River, and we reside in Courtenay, B.C.

Like most fishermen in B.C., we are multispecies fishers. We fish for halibut, ling cod, swimming scallops and salmon. I'm not an expert nor am I representing any association or organization. I'm here to represent our fishing family and to present our personal experiences.

Fishing is an unpredictable industry. Our lives are driven by the tides, the weather and the life cycle of the very species we catch. There are so many unknown variables, and we often have to make big decisions with little notice and no information; however, there is some predictability that we've come to depend on. We know that halibut season opens in March. We know that prawn season opens in May. We know that summers are spent fishing salmon, and chum opens in October.

Fisheries openings, while subject to shift and change, used to be relatively dependable. You knew when to expect a notice. You knew when the opening would be, roughly around the same as last year, as long as the fish are there. Abundance meant access. You could build a business and roughly plan your fishing seasons, but there's been a big shift in fisheries management. Notices seem to come later. The lead times from a notice to actual openings are shorter. Abundance no longer means access.

When preparing for today, I really struggled to determine where to focus my words. There are so many examples of short notices and lack of clarity, such as how chum season used to consistently open in September, and now it is common to get less than 24 hours' notice for a mid-October opening. In the north, it's become common to get only two weeks' notice, which is not nearly enough when it takes me a week just to reach the fishing grounds.

The story that stands out the most to me is our 2022 sockeye year. My family has two salmon licences, an area F northern troller licence, which allows us to fish salmon around Haida Gwaii, and an area H troller licence, which allows us to fish on the east side of Vancouver Island.

There used to be a single salmon licence for the whole coast but, in the late 1990s, it was split into three. My father-in-law had the foresight to invest in two licences because, at the time, fishing in the north started primarily in June and July, and fishing in the south started in August. Having both allows us to access both areas in a given season and adjust as needed to the area that makes the most financial sense in a given year. That changed in 2019. Since then, our chinook opening has been pushed back to the second or third week of August, a month or so later. Due to that later opening, we can no longer fish both our north and south licences. We have to choose, which is what we did in 2022.

The big run of Fraser sockeye usually happens every four years, and 2022 was forecast to be really strong. The sockeye and chinook fisheries are financially comparable; however, the southern fishing grounds are closer and off-load ports are closer, so the overall cost to access the fishery is substantially less, especially with the price of fuel.

We chose to stay south. We got our boat ready. We got crew lined up. We stocked our boat with food and fuel, and we watched. At the end of July, we monitored the test fishing. We called around and talked to fishers who had decades more experience and knowledge to draw upon. Everything looked promising. “It's definitely going to open, maybe a bit later than usual, but definitely the second week of August”, we were told. The test fishing numbers continued to climb. FSC fishing occurred. It looked promising, but there was still no notice.

Within the first couple of weeks, we still had time to pivot. We could change. We could head north. That's why we have more than one licence. We can change and make plans to make decisions to compensate for when the fish just aren't there, but in 2022, that wasn't the case; the fish were there. Test fishing numbers were good. We had passed openings with lower numbers, so we waited. By the end of August, Washington had opened their salmon season. Catch report data showed that FSC fishing harvested over 670,000 fish, and the U.S. commercial fleet harvested over 318,000 fish. Cumulatively, over one million fish came out of the water, yet we still had no opening.

After waiting an entire month for an opening that never came, we gave up and started preparing for our next fishery. The day we put all of our gear on for the new fishery, totally different gear, a notice was sent. The date of notice was September 7 at 3:12 p.m. Sockeye would open the next day, September 8, at 12:01 a.m. That was less than nine hours' notice. Fishing was only allowed at the mouth of the Fraser River, where the fish are of less value compared to where we fish in the Johnstone Strait, due to lower quality and the river colouration. The quota was set for 123 pieces per vessel, the value of which would barely cover the cost of my fuel.

In 2022, as a result of a delayed northern opening, having to choose between two licences and a month late sockeye opening that was not financially viable, my family lost out on the income of two licences and about one-third of our expected income for the year. This is just one of many stories like this across fisheries and fishermen.

I'd like to finish with a quick analogy on fishing that I find is effective to explain our industry. Imagine you have a business, a store, let's say. You purchase the building, you pay for the electrical, the water, your business fees and any other licences you need to operate. You have staff, and you have equipment, but you don't have the keys to the door. You don't get to control when the store opens or closes. Most of the time, you don't even know when they're going to show up with the keys. You just have to be ready and hope. That's fishing.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you, Ms. Collier.

Mr. Desbois, you now have the floor for five minutes.

[Daniel Desbois, President, Association des crabiers gaspésiens inc.]

Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to present the reality of the snow crab fishers we represent in the southern gulf. Although we do not speak on behalf of all fishers, the concerns we are raising today are widely shared on the ground.

First, it's important to recognize that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, has made significant progress over the years. Today, fishing plans are available earlier; licence conditions are issued on time; and fishers have access to the necessary tools, including online payment. Administratively, the system is ready.

Despite those advances, there's still a major challenge: the operational capacity to complete icebreaking on time. The system is ready on paper, but not at sea. It's also important to be transparent. This year, the ice conditions in the gulf probably wouldn't have allowed for a much earlier opening, but it still would have allowed for a few days earlier.

The issue we are raising is not tied to a single year. It doesn't concern a specific year. It's the repeat delays. Every spring, due to uncertainties and delays in planning and executing icebreaking, we systematically lose between three and four days of fishing that could be recovered. We aren't asking for the impossible; we're asking to recover the days that are lost every year.

This year is a very concrete example. Operations were originally scheduled for the end of March; they were postponed to April 5 and 6, and they were eventually carried out around April 11 and 13.

A number of problems were observed on the ground: difficult coordination of equipment; the use of icebreakers with varying capabilities depending on the area; and, above all, the absence of a tugboat, which is essential for keeping the channels open. Since there was no tugboat available and no alternative planned, some of the work that was done couldn't be fully utilized, and additional delays accumulated. Even after the icebreaking has been completed, fishers still have to wait for a safe weather window—often below 20 knots of wind—before they can go out to sea.

The delays add up; they don't replace each other. Each day lost in the spring becomes very difficult to recover.

It's important to understand a simple reality of our industry: If a week is lost in April, it takes about three weeks in June to achieve the same catches. That means that every delay moves the fishing effort to a period with less favourable conditions, increasing costs and, most importantly, the arrival of right whales, which are becoming more and more present. The fishing effort is shifted precisely to the period with the most risk, and there's a major inconsistency there. Right whales start arriving in the southern gulf as early as the first week of May. However, we haven't observed any interactions with the whales over the past two years. Why not? That's because the fishing took place earlier. Whale protection requires the fishing to open earlier, not later. The longer fishing is delayed, the greater the risk to right whales.

Another important factor concerns regional fairness. In Quebec, our harbours generally aren't affected by ice. We're ready to fish earlier. However, the opening is delayed due to icebreaking challenges at certain ports in the Maritimes, particularly in Caraquet and Shippagan. As a result, a safe fishery in Quebec is delayed because of a lack of planning elsewhere. New Brunswick fishers understand this reality and share our concerns, but their reliance on DFO operations limits their ability to challenge decisions.

Another significant challenge concerns the complexity of the decision-making process. The committee now includes more than 100 stakeholders, which makes coordination more difficult and slows down decision-making. The diversity of stakeholders is essential, and we fully recognize the importance of the participation of indigenous communities and all fishers. The challenge we're raising has to do with the effectiveness of the decision-making process, not the participation itself. It's important to make sure that this diversity can be expressed while allowing for swift and effective decisions on the ground. The challenge isn't around the table; it's the table's ability to make decisions effectively.

In our reality, every day counts, and this red tape has direct impacts on the ground. The more cumbersome the process, the more difficult it becomes to respond effectively. Our position is clear and constructive: We want to maintain a simultaneous opening for everyone, but for it to work, DFO's planning has to live up to the decisions it imposes on the industry. In practical terms, that means guaranteed resources—icebreakers, tugboats and other specialized equipment—rigorous coordination and a contingency plan in the event of failure.

We're not asking for more rules; we're asking for the ones that are in place to be enforced. If these conditions are not met, there has to be a flexibility mechanism to prevent the entire industry from being penalized by operational issues.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Mr. Desbois, your time is up. Can you wrap up your remarks?

[Daniel Desbois]

Okay. I have a minute's worth.

Finally, some thought could be given to setting clear targets for icebreaking. A reference date at the end of March to ensure access to the wharf in the critical sector, regardless of conditions elsewhere in the gulf, would improve predictability, fishers' preparation and the system's overall efficiency. The issue isn't the ice; it's the planning. Today, the system delays a safe fishery, increases costs for fishers and shifts fishing effort to a period when the risks to right whales are higher. Better planning today prevents conservation problems tomorrow.

[The Chair, Liberal, Patrick Weiler]

Thank you very much, Mr. Desbois.

That concludes our opening remarks.

We're going to go right into our first round of questioning, with Mr. Small for six minutes.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

I'd like to thank the witnesses for taking part in our study today.

My question for Monsieur Desbois relates to his opening statement where he mentioned the importance of avoiding right whales.

Monsieur Desbois, with all the things that we've heard over the years—we've had lots of consultations and whatnot, and we've spoken about gear technology and ways to avoid right whale entanglement—it's been a priority to make sure the whales have been kept safe in your region.

Is the number one way to avoid right whales by the use of technology or the use of opening dates that keep you away from the whale migration?

[Daniel Desbois]

Fishing as much as possible before the whales arrive, when the whales aren't there—no technology can replace that. To date, the technology isn't ready. It's moving forward, but it really isn't ready.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

With all that we've heard, seen and done—and in fact we've had a study at this committee over the last several years to study the right whale issue—why doesn't the government see the importance of avoiding right whales at the time of the opening of your season the same way that you do?

[Daniel Desbois]

Yes, that's why we're asking for an expected icebreaking date. To us, it seems that icebreaking isn't being taken seriously. The last two years, icebreaking was done at the end of March or very early in April. This year, nothing would have prevented the icebreaking from starting as planned at the end of March, but it wasn't carried out until two weeks later. That's unacceptable.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

You have a quota for snow crab, I understand. Is that correct?

[Daniel Desbois]

Yes. The problem isn't the quota, it's really the fishing window before the whales arrive.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

If you have a quota and you're ready to fish, you're just going to go out and catch your quota. If you're ready to fish because your harbours are open and free of ice, why can't you go and fish when you're ready?

You're only going to take your quota, and you're going to take it in a timely manner and be off the water before the right whales come. Why won't they let vessels in areas that can be fished take part in the fishery where they're just going to catch their quota?

[Daniel Desbois]

Yes, of course, but we still have respect for our colleagues in the Maritimes. The goal isn't to go fishing before they do, unless there's a lack of effort put into icebreaking, which prevents us from going fishing. We're advocating for a simultaneous start to the season. There's no doubt that we're always much more penalized on the Quebec side if the icebreaking isn't done, because we can't go out. We're waiting.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Have you had consultations with the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaking program and DFO to get reassurance that what happened this year won't happen next year?

[Daniel Desbois]

Yes. This year, it's pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. The tugboat that was supposed to keep the channel open had broken down. We informed them of this at the first meeting, but there was no alternative. The icebreaker had to come back a week later to reopen the same channel, because the tug wasn't there; it was broken down. There was no planning whatsoever to replace the tugboat. There's a serious lack of planning.

That's why we think it's necessary for these people to set a date to free the harbours, because they seem to rely on the ice cover in the gulf rather than what's in the ports.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Would you like to outline a recommendation that we could put in this study report when the time comes?

[Daniel Desbois]

Yes, we would like a date to be set in the last weeks of March for the harbours' ice to be broken.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Collier, why do you think DFO is not more efficient in making season openings that affect your livelihood so much?

[Melissa Collier]

I wouldn't begin to understand what goes into making those decisions. All I know is I experience the outcome, and it just doesn't feel like DFO has the ability to make decisions fast enough or in a timely enough manner. A lot of our fisheries require in-season decisions, and it seems that the response time isn't there.