Robert Thibault

[Coast Guard, June 11th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, that is completely irresponsible. The Siyay is performing very well. It is a reliable craft. It will serve the people very well for a long time. I have been working closely with the member for Richmond who wants to ensure that we have a second hovercraft there to help in the security of the people. We will continue to do that. We will get a temporary craft and we will start plans immediately to build a new replacement hovercraft.

[Coast Guard, June 11th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that the Siyay is a formidable craft, a great state of the art vessel. Any time a new vessel like that, which is comparable to how aircraft is commissioned, there are some technical defects and some technical adjustments that must be made. They are being done. They are being noted in case we build a new one like that in the future when we replace the one we have so that we have an even better craft.

[Fisheries, June 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the full bay scallop fleet has developed the scallop in that area with sound scientific analysis. Last year we included some area lobster fishermen within that fishery, as they will be this year. They are fishing at a very low level with a low yield in a safe manner. I am sure that the fishery will be sustainable both for lobster and scallop forever.

[Question No. 216, June 4th, 2003]

Cod stocks in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) area, Division 3NO (Tail of the Grand Banks) and Division 3M (Flemish Cap), are under NAFO moratoria. Bycatches of these cod stocks in fisheries directed at other stocks in the NAFO area are restricted to 5%. A new definition of directed fishery was adopted at the 2002 NAFO annual meeting that will help to deter vessels from exceeding this bycatch limit and reduce bycatches of these stocks.

As the coastal state contracting party to NAFO, Canada contributes to the development of conservation and management measures in the regulatory area. These measures include 100% observer and satellite tracking coverage on all vessels as well as mandatory dockside inspections for every vessel fishing. Vessels fishing in the regulatory area are subject to inspection by NAFO fisheries inspectors.

All vessels fishing in the NAFO regulatory area are also subject to strict conservation measures designed to promote effective management of stocks.

DFO continually monitors the activity of foreign vessels in the regulatory area through the NAFO inspection program and analysis of observer reports. It assesses vessel compliance within NAFO measures and continues to highlight instances of non compliance by NAFO members in order to reduce bycatches of moratoria species, misreporting and exceeding of quotas.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 3rd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Yukon, as well as Senator Christensen, for their great work on behalf of all Yukoners.

Since my announcement last December, important discussions have been taking place with the people most affected. Last week my department along with the Yukon government, the Council of Yukon First Nations and the Klondike Placer Miners' Association agreed to work together to develop a new regime that protects fish and fish habitat while allowing for a viable placer mining industry.

With this goal in mind, representatives of these groups have agreed to an implementation steering committee to develop--

[Fisheries, June 2nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we have to recognize that the shrimp fishery is in very good shape. We know we can increase the quotas to the level we increased them to. We know we could go beyond those levels.

We continue to seek scientific advice and we will increase our scientific knowledge through a joint program with the industry. We are going to do this very carefully to ensure sustainability for the future.

[Fisheries, June 2nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the quotas are established based on the state of the resource. We know that the resource is in very good shape and that it could withstand an increase to the level we have set. Last year, we were asked to consider waiting a year. We agreed and we waited.

I cannot refuse to increase quotas when we know that communities depend on them. We will leave it up to entrepreneurs to fish and sell shrimp.

[Fisheries and Oceans, May 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we have been working very carefully within our budget and framework to ensure that we give the same period of coverage with the same amount of people. Everybody will work one week less but we will cover the same rivers for the exact same time.

[Fisheries, May 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, after discussions with the industry and the scientific advice available, we established a TAC this year that is well within the safe limits for that industry. We could have gone higher, but we do not know by how much.

We are working with the industry to have an enhanced scientific knowledge process that will give us the capability of increasing yields further in the future, reducing if we should, and getting better potential access for communities like Nunavut.

[Fisheries, May 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague as well as all federal and provincial Liberal colleagues for the valuable advice they gave me in developing this northern shrimp management plan.

This year's quota of just over 152,000 tonnes is the result of a healthy and abundant resource where exploitation rates continue to be low. The quota is based on the principle of conservation, adjacency and equity. It also increases aboriginal participation in this fishery.

I was pleased to announce an industry-led science project that will continue to monitor the state of these stocks into the future.