Fisheries Committee on Oct. 26th, 2026

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Do you run your entire program on that river for $15,000?

[Dustin Snyder]

We run two rivers at opposite ends of our region, and our region is about the size of Vancouver Island.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Wow.

Do you think that rivers in Atlantic Canada could benefit from citizen-led initiatives like your own with basically minute amounts of money going in from the taxpayer?

[Dustin Snyder]

Yes, 100%. It should have been in place a long time ago.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

That's my time.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Mel Arnold]

Thank you.

Next, we move on to Mr. Earle, please, for six minutes.

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, witnesses, for your testimony.

Just to declare my bias, I'm an avid Atlantic salmon sports fisherman. I grew up in a small fishing community where fish was ceremonial and sustenance for our family. I have a large indigenous population in my riding, and I do support the indigenous fishery and know the importance thereof.

I will look towards Mr. Snyder from the Pacific coast.

Thank you again for coming all the way here.

For decades, we've had conservation measures and means around Atlantic salmon. It feels like we have a continued decline in the Atlantic salmon population. Coming from the west coast with knowledge of the Atlantic salmon, could you give us your feedback as to why we're seeing that continued decline?

[Dustin Snyder]

I would say that again, as was mentioned here, unfortunately, when it comes to salmon, it's usually kind of a death by a thousand cuts sort of thing. There is no silver bullet solution and, again, as I mentioned, something like hatcheries should be put in place as a stopgap.

I would say that, for our conservation hatchery program that I oversee in B.C., our goal is to put ourselves out of business. We want the fish to be able to sustain themselves. Again, there are habitat issues, climate change and predator-prey imbalance, whether it's bass or seals. Being able to monitor these fish closely and have people put their hands on these fish and keep an eye on them brings community that much more into it. As you said, you've been involved in fishing, so you know how important those fish are.

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Thank you for that.

Given your knowledge of Pacific salmon and salmon more generally, can you talk to us about real evidence that you may have seen, evidence that may exist for Atlantic salmon, where reseeding a river brings forth fruit: The salmon mature within the river, go into the ocean, and come back in to spawn and continue the cycle of Atlantic salmon? Does that evidence exist?

[Dustin Snyder]

That I'm not 100% sure. I'm sorry; I'm not well versed. I think that you guys would probably have some better input on that than I do.

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Thank you. I appreciate your forthrightness.

Would somebody else on that side of the table like to answer that question? Do we have real evidence of success by seeding a river with young salmon?

Go ahead, Mr. Robinson.

[Tim Robinson, Director, Salmon Recovery Programs, Fort Folly First Nation]

Thank you.

On the inner Bay of Fundy, within Fort Folly's territory, there are four rivers on the New Brunswick side. One of those rivers, notably, is the Petitcodiac River. Historically, it represented 20% recruitment for the inner Bay of Fundy population, but the Atlantic salmon in it were extirpated altogether because of a causeway structure that was built back in 1968. The gates weren't functioning properly and weren't opened until 2010.

Through Fort Folly's efforts, in partnership with DFO and other partners, and through the Fundy Salmon Recovery model in particular, we now have salmon at all life stages existing on the Petitcodiac, and we have returns. They are modest, but adults return to the Petitcodiac every year.

The Petitcodiac River is a big system that is impacted more by climate change and human impacts, but the other three rivers are showing even stronger returns. The Big Salmon River, which was DFO's index river, is now part of the Fundy Salmon Recovery model, along with two rivers at Fundy National Park, and we're showing really strong returns.

Enhancement and innovation work, and collaborative partnerships work so that one entity isn't carrying the full burden financially. Partnership and innovation are key.

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

I have about one minute left, I believe.

Thank you for the great work you're doing and for that added evidence that we can bring back important salmon rivers.

As somebody who's done the work, as you've illustrated, how disappointing is it for you that we continue to fight seals, cormorants and bass in river systems, which basically erode the great work you're doing?

[Tim Robinson]

Shifts in predator-prey relationships, like those throughout the Atlantic salmon range, are very challenging. Action has to be taken to try to move toward more of a balance. One thing I think we need to do, as our colleagues here have alluded to, is really increase the presence of Atlantic salmon throughout the range to help them, in part, survive those threats as we work toward achieving more balance.

That's my quick answer.

[Philip Earle, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

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

Thank you.

We now move on to Mr. Champoux for six minutes.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to thank all the witnesses for being here today.

I think we're going to keep Mr. Lacroix and Ms. McCoy busy. It's their turn.

First of all, good afternoon.

You are no doubt aware of the government's announcement last September regarding the investment of $740 million for ocean protection. Do you have any idea how this money will be used and allocated? Do you have any information on this that we might not yet have, or do you have nothing at all?

[Raymond Lacroix]

We don't have any information yet.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

If you had any recommendations to make on this, what would they be? Obviously, you would surely say that the sum of $740 million should go towards the protection of Atlantic salmon, but let's say, realistically, that it is for the protection of the oceans. What do you expect?

[Raymond Lacroix]

We expect this to be channelled into research, particularly scientific research on the oceans.

As far as salmon are concerned, we know quite a lot about what happens in rivers, of course. However, once the salmon reach the sea, it becomes a black hole. There are several theories to explain why salmon are under threat at sea, but we don't really know. There is a lack of scientific analyses or studies on what happens at that stage.

As for future funding and what we would favour, we would obviously like to see more research into what actually happens at sea.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

That's more or less what I heard you say earlier in your opening address.

Would you say that, generally speaking, there is a certain shortfall in the government's commitment to involving the scientific community in tackling these immense problems? We know that the problem is complex and that there is no easy or single solution. There is a whole range of factors and measures that need to be put in place to successfully tackle this problem.

[Raymond Lacroix]

I would say that problems at sea are more frequent or are a relatively recent phenomenon. That is what we are observing from our perspective. We certainly need to do more. We obviously hope to see more scientific research in this area. That is what we are promoting.

We need to understand what is happening at sea. We can, of course, continue to support the rivers—and that is what we must do—and we can create the most favourable habitats for the return of salmon; but if all the salmon disappear at sea and we do not understand why, we cannot take coordinated action afterwards. We must therefore continue to prioritize this and, of course, give priority to scientific research at sea.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Clearly, your foundation is very committed. Do you collaborate with other stakeholders? I am thinking, amongst others, of fishermen's groups and first nations, who are stakeholders deeply concerned about the decline in the Atlantic salmon population and very involved in this issue. How is this coordination going? Does everyone agree that we need to give greater priority—and more funding, too—to scientific research and the use of scientific data? Is there a general consensus on this? In short, how is the collaboration going?

[Raymond Lacroix]

The collaboration is going very well. As I mentioned right at the start of my opening address, we are an organization bringing together people from many different provinces. We have people from all over. That is what makes the foundation so rich. There is a diversity of viewpoints.

As I mentioned earlier, we are finding that concerns vary from one province to another. However, there is one thing that is common to all the provinces, and that is what is happening at sea. There is a consensus on this.

In the summer of 2022, as the salmon swam down the rivers, something happened in the Gulf of St. Lawrence or at sea which meant that there was no run, or very few, in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2026, the situation improved. We believe that season was better. Not all the statistics are available yet, but it was better. So, something happened at sea, and everyone agrees that more research is needed to understand what is going on.

It is certainly true that some rivers have more specific problems. This is the case with striped bass, for example, at the mouth of the Miramichi River. This is a cause for concern. We also know that, on the Basse‑Côte‑Nord in Quebec, there can be incidental catches of young salmon. In Nova Scotia, there are other issues, occurring between the mainland and Cape Breton Island.

However, there is one thing common to all the provinces, and that is what is happening in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This is something that really needs to be investigated because, subsequently, when the salmon return, it is what has happened at sea that determines the number of runs. I would say that people agree on this point.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

We are not even able to determine, by a process of elimination, what the causes might be—for example, a change in ocean temperature or overpopulation of a species. We know that predation is an important factor in the equation. That said, we are unable to pinpoint any specific cause. There is not enough scientific data available for that. So, something significant enough to have such a severe impact on salmon populations must have happened at sea, but we are unable to identify what it was, and this has been going on for several years.