My name is Dylan McIntyre. I'm 31 years old and from Souris, Prince Edward Island. I'm a commercial fisherman. I own a lobster, mackerel and bluefin tuna licence.
My first experience with lobster fishing happened when I was just a young boy. I spent a full day on the water with my grandfather and uncle. After that day of fishing I knew I wanted to be a fisher person, be a captain and own a licence of my own I quickly realized that for me to accomplish this goal, it was going to take a lot of sacrifice and hard work. That was something I was okay with.
At the age of 18, I jumped on a plane and went to work in the Alberta oil sands to start saving money to buy a licence. I would work there all fall and winter and come home in the spring to work on the back of a lobster boat. I continued this cycle of life until I saved up enough money for a down payment on a licence of my own.
In the fall of 2018, at 22 years old and after many trips back and forth between P.E.I. and Alberta, I accomplished the goal I'd always dreamed of since I was child: owning my own lobster licence.
Then I began to prepare for the 2019 fishery. There were a lot of highs and lows in learning experiences in my first year as a captain. I made my annual payment, but just barely. I was very thankful there was a mackerel fishery to participate in as soon as the lobster season ended.
I was able to fish mackerel all summer and fall. This mackerel fishery allowed me to have a paycheque every week for myself and a crew member. It was hard work, but when you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work.
This mackerel fishery enabled me to catch and freeze enough mackerel for lobster bait. I took great care of the fish to make sure I had the best possible bait. At a cost of approximately 75¢ a pound, I was able to freeze the bait at Eastern Cold Storage and pay a crew. Being able to catch my own bait and store it was a huge savings for the upcoming season. I continued to do this for the next three years.
Then DFO shut down the fishery. This was crippling news to me and lots of other fishers who not only relied on this fishery for another income to help pay the bills, but also relied on this fishing to catch their own good-quality bait, which saved tens of thousands of dollars. When this happened, it took away part of our independence, because now we would have to rely on getting bait from a packer or buyer.
Fishermen now have to buy mackerel that comes from other countries, like the United States, Norway, Spain and Ireland, to name a few. The cost now ranges between $2 and $3 a pound, depending on the size and quality. Now fishermen from all over Quebec, New Brunswick, P.E.I., Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have to sit at home knowing there are plenty of fish in their own waters that they are not allowed to catch. Fishermen from all the provinces I mentioned are sitting at home wishing they could be on the water doing their job.
We see an abundance of mackerel feeding on lobster larvae on top of the water every day in June when we are on the water fishing lobsters. I believe we will see a decline in the lobster fishery in years to come if we aren't allowed to start harvesting mackerel again.
In the summer and fall when we go tuna fishing, we see mackerel schooling on top of the water everywhere. There's just no need....
The closure of this fishery not only affects the fishermen. It affects the processors who buy mackerel, the individuals who work on the wharfs, truck drivers, local fishing stores, fuel suppliers, grocery store owners, plant workers and processing facilities like Eastern Cold Storage, which operates in my community.
Last summer, a 200 metric ton bait fishery was open for three days, and then it closed because the quota was caught. That tells me there are plenty of fish in the water. This winter the American fishery put their quota up 7,300 metric tons, on top of the 3,200 metric tons they had in the 2025 season.
It’s a hook and line fishery, which means no bycatch. It means it’s the cleanest fishery in the world. It blows my mind that DFO and scientists say the stock isn’t healthy when fishermen from all over are saying they see many mackerel schooling on top of the water and are marking them on their fish finders. It feels like our voices aren’t being heard, which is very frustrating for people like me who rely on this fishery and love to participate in it.
I would like to thank the committee for this invitation. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.