Thank you, Chair and honourable members of Parliament.
My name is Claire Mavin. For over 10 years, I have fished commercially alongside my father, Doug Mavin, harvesting halibut, salmon, groundfish and prawns. I'm the fourth generation of my family to rely on this industry to sustain our livelihood.
Being raised in commercial fishing has shaped who I am. It has taught me determination, perseverance, patience and work ethic, all while allowing me to financially support myself through my university education.
Running a fishing operation requires immense preparation, complex logistics and capital investment. Every decision we make is entirely dependent on timely opening and closure notifications from DFO, and it's important in managing costs and running a fishing business efficiently.
DFO's current trend of delayed management has had severe consequences for harvesters. We saw this clearly last prawn season, when the fleet was given only a few days' notice for a closure. Boats were caught in logistically challenging situations, which increased costs for many harvesters. It impacted fishing productivity and challenged sustainable fishing practices.
This year, the pattern inverted. We were given incredibly short notice for an opening date that has historically been consistent. This lack of predictability creates immediate and unnecessary financial and physical hardships for all fishery participants.
Of deepest concern to me, however, is the management of our salmon troll fishery. Due to the incongruency of opening dates and the run timing, the majority of the stock has migrated past our area before we are granted access. This leaves approximately half of our allowable quota unfulfilled, resulting in significantly reduced earnings for the fleet, earnings that make up our livelihood after we have recovered the costs of operation.
These reduced earnings are not a result of fleet competency or skill but of departmental policy. This policy has severe personal costs. To avoid losing vital income, I am forced to miss the first few weeks of university classes each year. Meanwhile, my siblings have missed out on crucial earnings as the fishery is pushed later and later into the fall.
Due to the late opening timing, each day is precious, and we are forced to fish through unsafe weather and adversity to maximize a window that is far too narrow.
While our commercial fleet is heavily curtailed, we watch other user groups increase their harvest levels on the very fish we are prohibited from catching. Our fleet is forced to fish last, after every other user group has already been granted access.
This policy of preferential access, where the commercial sector is starved of opportunity, is unacceptable. It diminishes our industry and actively pushes the next generation out. Maintaining a professional crew is virtually impossible under these conditions, forcing captains to rely increasingly on students and part-time workers. Managing this high turnover availability is already a significant challenge for harvesters, and the department's lack of timely notice only compounds this difficulty.
I am one of four siblings. None of us plan a life in commercial fishing. We want to, but we cannot, because current policy trends give younger generations absolutely no hope for a viable future.
I urge this committee to hold the department accountable, demand transparent, standardized timelines for openings and closures, and restore equitable access to the commercial troll fleet.
Thank you, and I gratefully accept your questions.