Fisheries Committee on May 4th, 2026

[The Clerk of the Committee, Maxime Ricard]

Honourable members of the committee, I see a quorum.

As members know, a vacancy has arisen in the office of the chair.

Pursuant to Standing Order 106(3)(a), I will, as clerk of the committee, preside over the election of the chair.

I must inform members that the clerk of the committee can only receive motions for the election of the chair. The clerk cannot receive other types of motions, cannot entertain points of order and cannot participate in debate.

We can now proceed to the election of the chair.

Pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the chair must be a member of the government party.

I am ready to receive motions for the chair.

Mr. Weiler.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

I would like to nominate my neighbour and my colleague, the honourable Hedy Fry, for the chair position.

[The Clerk]

Mr. Weiler moves that Hedy Fry be elected as chair of the committee.

Are there any further motions?

Mr. Arnold.

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

I'd like to move that Mr. Morrissey, having sat on this committee for over 10 years, be elected chair of the committee.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Clerk, I decline.

[The Clerk]

Are there any further motions?

Mr. Small.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Central Newfoundland, NL]

Since the riding of Avalon has had such a history of having its member of Parliament be the chair of this committee and as Mr. Connors served under that chair and is very familiar with the workings of the committee, I nominate Mr. Connors.

[Paul Connors, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

I thank my colleague from across the way for his nomination, but I respectfully decline.

[The Clerk]

Are there any further motions?

I will now put the motion to the committee.

It has been moved by Mr. Weiler that Hedy Fry be elected as chair of the committee.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?

(Motion agreed to)

I declare the motion carried and Hedy Fry duly elected chair of the committee.

I invite Dr. Fry to take the chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Good morning, everyone.

What a terrible way to start as chair. I want to apologize profusely to all of you for being late. My cab was supposed to arrive; it didn't arrive. We called and called and had to get another one. Here I am, but I really do apologize for this. Thank you very much.

Thank you for electing me. I hope I will be worthy of filling Mr. Weiler's shoes. I have known him for such a long time. He's an excellent MP, and I know he was an excellent chair because I sat in the last meeting and watched how he chaired.

I want to congratulate this committee on being a committee that is respectful and collegial and that wants to get the things done that it wants to get done, which are to make sure that fisheries on both coasts work well and that your reports mean something.

Thank you again. I hope I can do justice to this committee.

Mr. Arnold.

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

Welcome, Madam Chair. Congratulations on being elected as chair.

I'd like to take just a couple of short moments to thank Mr. Weiler for his fair and judicious chairing of this committee for the past months.

As a vice-chair, it was good to work with you.

I look forward to the same openness and collegiality that we've experienced on this committee over the 10-plus years that I and Mr. Morrissey have been on this committee. I think we've done a lot of good work across party lines in efforts to improve the fisheries. When I say “fisheries”, that means fish stocks and the fisheries, the people who participate in harvesting those stocks. I think we can continue to do that work.

Regarding your vision and statement that you would like to see the congeniality that takes place in this committee continue, I very much hope for the same thing.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Morrissey.

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Thank you, Chair.

I would just like to support the comments from my colleague Mr. Arnold, which reflect well the work of this committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

I just wanted to say, Mr. Morrissey, that I've known most of you for a long time, and I think I'm looking forward to this.

You wouldn't believe that being a very urban Vancouver Centre MP, I have one of the largest fisheries in my riding. Actually, it's on Granville Island. There's a lot of shellfish, and a lot of fishers live there. I depend on fishers to vote for me at the end of the day, so I thank you.

This is going to be a learning curve for me. I know I will learn from all of you about what is what, etc., I know salmon, sockeye.... That's all I have to say. Thank you.

Now, I would like to invite the witnesses to the table.

Welcome to meeting number 36 of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

I want to acknowledge that we are gathered here on the ancestral lands of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

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. Today’s meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders.

Pursuant to our routine motions, I would like to advise committee members that all witnesses appearing virtually today have successfully conducted the required testing.

I also want to remind participants of the following points: Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon—you will see a little globe—and that will give you the language you wish to speak and participate in. I remind you that all comments should be addressed through the chair. For members in the room, if you wish to speak, please raise your hand. For members on Zoom, please use the “raise hand” function. The clerk and I will manage the speaking order as best we can.

I would now like to welcome our witnesses.

From the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we have Bernard Vigneault, director general, ecosystem science directorate. We also have Todd Williams, senior director, resource management, operations; and Neil Davis, regional director, fisheries management branch, Pacific region.

We will start with the opening statement of Mr. Vigneault.

You have five minutes for your opening statement. I will literally give you a shout-out when you have one minute, and then another one at 30 seconds, just to orient you.

Thank you very much.

Begin, please, Mr. Vigneault. You have five minutes.

[Bernard Vigneault, Director General, Ecosystem Science Directorate, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'll actually ask my colleague Todd Williams to read our remarks.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Mr. Williams.

[Todd Williams, Senior Director, Resource Management - Operations, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Thank you very much.

Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss Fisheries and Oceans’ processes for determining the timing of fishing seasons.

My name is Todd Williams. I am the senior director of fisheries management operations. I am joined here today by Bernard Vigneault, director general, ecosystem science directorate; and Neil Davis, regional director, fisheries management, Pacific region.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which I speak is the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe.

Safety is our non-negotiable priority. Opening day for competitive fisheries is often characterized by a race to fish.

In setting season opening and closing schedules, the department prioritizes the safety of harvesters while balancing scientific and environmental considerations, fisheries management objectives and the economic viability of the fishery.

In many Atlantic and northern fisheries, sea ice often delays openings. We monitor ice thickness and movement in real time to ensure safe fleet and search and rescue operations. We work closely with Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard and harvester representatives to discuss opening date possibilities.

The maintenance of our small craft harbours is also vital to ensuring safe fishery operations. We recognize the importance of dredging in many of our facilities, particularly in the spring.

Science and environmental factors are also critically important. Seasons are often timed to avoid such sensitive periods as spawning and moulting. This ensures that we are not harvesting species when they are most vulnerable or when the quality of the catch, such as soft-shell crab, would be suboptimal. We also account for the broader ecosystem, including the presence of species at risk. For example, the migration of the North Atlantic right whale necessitates dynamic closures to prevent entanglements.

Fisheries are a business. The timing of a season can be the difference between a profitable year and a loss. We work with industry to identify market windows—periods when global demand and prices are highest. If a season opens too late, Canadian harvesters may miss out on a lucrative holiday market or international buying cycles. We also avoid supply gluts. Strategic timing helps prevent supply gluts, ensuring predictability for processing plants and helping to keep prices stable.

The management regime itself influences our approach to setting opening and closing dates.

As I mentioned earlier, in competitive fisheries, precise opening times are essential for fairness, as each harvester competes at the same time on a given date. In cases where that is not possible, we work with harvesters to find a date and time that work.

In individual quota fisheries, where a harvester's share is more or less guaranteed, we can offer much wider seasonal windows. This allows harvesters to “fish the market” and choose their own best time to go out, significantly reducing economic pressure and improving safety.

No one knows the water better than the people on it. Our advisory committees provide a collaborative forum for harvesters to offer real-world intelligence on water temperatures, fish quality and local conditions. We hear this through our advisory committee processes and in many of our deliberations before the season opens. To stay responsive, we use variation orders, allowing us to adjust openings and closings on short notice.

Finally, we manage these seasons within the framework of our constitutional and legal obligations to indigenous peoples. This includes prioritizing food, social and ceremonial fisheries, as well as working with first nations to implement the right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood.

In summary, determining a fishing season is a multi-dimensional puzzle. We must ensure the safety of the fleet, protect the stock and position the industry to be globally competitive. As climate change makes our seasons less predictable, the department is committed to a management approach that is as adaptive and resilient as the harvesters we serve.

We'll be happy to take your questions. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much.

We will begin with Mr. Arnold for six minutes, please.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'll start my questioning with Mr. Davis, who is online.

Last year, Mr. Davis, in 2025, the Fraser River sockeye salmon season was extremely challenging for harvesters in all sectors, with abundance coming back multiple times higher than what was initially predicted. The department seemed to be either reluctant or restrained in opening up access to commercial and public fisheries during that time.

What organizations actually have input and influence into the decisions and direction of the Pacific Salmon Commission in directing this binational stock?

[Neil Davis, Regional Director, Fisheries Management Branch, Pacific Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans]

Good morning. Thank you for the question.

We have both pre-season and in-season processes to ensure engagement with all affected or interested users.

Pre-season, beginning early in the calendar year or in December, we begin our consultations on developing an integrated fisheries management plan for salmon. We are consulting with advisory bodies that include representatives of commercial and recreational harvesters and first nations. Over the months of the winter and the spring, we begin to develop a plan specific to sockeye in the Fraser. We have an obligation under the Pacific Salmon Treaty to develop an escapement plan. That plan defines how many fish we want to escape to spawning grounds and then the rules we will use to try to achieve that outcome.

Once the season arrives, an important body that plays a role in the management of both Fraser sockeye and pink salmon fisheries on the Fraser is the Fraser panel. This is a body convened under the Pacific Salmon Treaty with U.S. and Canadian representatives. On the Canadian side, we have representatives from commercial, recreational and first nations sectors, which we're consulting with to ensure that we're getting their feedback on how to make decisions as more data rolls in over the course of the season.

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

Do any of these organizations feeding up through this chain of recommendations have binding authority on what the final decision will be?

[Neil Davis]

The short answer is no. We have commitments to engage with all of those groups. We have bilateral relationships with first nations organizations. All of that becomes advice to the department, and the department takes it all into consideration before making decisions to implement fisheries.

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

No one has the power to veto, if the science is there, that there should continue to be expanded fisheries. Would that be correct?

[Neil Davis]

There is no group with a veto power. The department, as delegated by the minister, has the authority to make the decisions over the opening and closing of fisheries.

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

Last year, when there was this incredible abundance that came back.... I believe it was the highest on record for that brood stock cycle. We understand that there are different brood stock cycle years, but this was incredibly high for that brood stock cycle year. It was a record number, yet when the U.S. panel members on the Pacific Salmon Commission were recommending an opening, the Canadians were opposed and did not provide any rationale for opposing it.

Why was it that the Canadian side didn't provide any rationale for not supporting the opening of the fishery?