Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee. My name is Joanne Volk. I am the director general of environmental science services with Environment and Climate Change Canada. I am joined by my colleague Arash Shahsavarani, the director for emergency and marine science at Environment and Climate Change Canada. We are both responsible for managing the national and regional operations at Environment and Climate Change Canada for the Canadian shellfish sanitation program.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as part of your study on recreational and traditional fishing for the softshell clam, or Mya arenaria. I am pleased to speak on the role of Environment and Climate Change Canada in supporting the Canadian shellfish sanitation program. As you just heard from our colleagues at the table, Environment and Climate Change Canada is a partner in this jointly led program, working in close collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Our primary responsibility within the program is to assess and monitor the sanitary quality of shellfish harvesting waters. This includes shellfish growing areas of Quebec, including the Baie des Chaleurs, within the broader Gulf of St. Lawrence. This work is one of several essential elements towards reducing risks and maintaining public confidence in shellfish safety.
Our activities begin by identifying potential sources of sanitary pollution. This involves comprehensive coastal surveys to identify both point and non-point sources of sanitary pollution, such as waste water discharges, agricultural runoff and failing septic systems.
These surveys are supported by ongoing water quality monitoring, where we measure levels of fecal coliform bacteria—an indicator of sanitary pollution that may pose a risk to human health.
Based on this evidence, ECCC makes recommendations to our CSSP partners on harvesting areas according to risk of sanitary contamination for bivalve shellfish.
As an example, when water quality deteriorates, whether due to heavy rainfall, infrastructure failure or other sanitary or pollution-related emergencies, Environment and Climate Change Canada provides recommendations to our partners regarding temporary closures to protect human health.
The Canadian shellfish sanitation program was originally designed with commercial harvesting in mind. Its structure reflects the need to support both food safety and international trade, including alignment with the United States. Like other food safety systems, it relies on multiple layers of protection to minimize risk; however, as your study highlights, shellfish harvesting in Canada is not limited to commercial activities. Recreational and indigenous food, social and ceremonial harvesting are also vital, and they present distinct needs.
In recent years, Environment and Climate Change Canada has taken important steps to improve program delivery.
Through budget 2024 funding, ECCC has expanded its engagement with indigenous communities to support safer harvesting practices and remove barriers to access shellfish harvest areas for food, social and ceremonial purposes. These efforts have strengthened relationships and improved information sharing.
Looking ahead, enhanced and improved program delivery will require continued collaboration with partners, provinces, indigenous communities and harvesters themselves.
ECCC remains committed to its role in providing timely, science-based information on sanitary water quality of shellfish harvest areas to help reduce risks to human health and support the sustainable use of shellfish resources for all Canadians.
Thank you for your attention.
We look forward to your questions.