Robert Thibault

[Fisheries, May 1st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I am currently preparing the northern shrimp plan. We will have some new opportunities that greatly increase quota. Access will be guided by the recommendations of the independent panel on access criteria. We will make sure to maximize the opportunities to local communities and their people without risking the viability of the established industry, and we will be doing that very, very soon.

[Fisheries, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Hillsborough for his question. This is the fourth year that those involved in the fishery have come together to celebrate the hard work of some remarkable Canadians who are committed to making Canadian fishing practices the best in the world. I believe it is important to point out that the award winners come from fishing regions across Canada, and they are selected by their peers, a tribute, Mr. Speaker, that I am sure you will appreciate.

I believe that in light of the recent difficult news in the fishery sector the timing could not be better to highlight the efforts that the fishing industry itself is making to promote a strong, ethical stewardship for the future.

[Fisheries, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that we outlined a comprehensive plan for the rebuilding of these stocks, including $6 million to outline and study the predator-prey relationship between seals and cod, and to delineate some seal exclusion zones in critical areas for the reproduction and growth of cod stocks.

[Fisheries, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has approached me with representatives, people from his community interested in the commercial harvest of seals. I have not put aside that possibility. We will consider any possible commercial harvest of marine resources where they are sustainable and where there are commercial advantages.

[Fisheries, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as I was indicating, in debate last night and in the press conference we indicated that we made a very difficult decision, a decision to conserve, protect and rebuild those stocks in order to have resources for those very communities in future generations and in future years.

[Fisheries, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that the hon. member is speaking for the people of Newfoundland, but I am a lot more happy that they have better representatives in this very chamber.

The decision I made, as I indicated to him yesterday, was a very difficult decision, a decision made--

[Fisheries, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, it would be helpful if the hon. member would learn to read page two of the manifest.

On occasion some of those vessels which are out fishing for over a year at a time visit many fishing waters, transship from one vessel to the other and can have their results of fishing not only in the waters of Canada's jurisdiction but in other parts of the world.

We verify and if we do not like it, we take action when there are illegal activities. That is why we use air flights, satellite monitoring and the observer program.

[Cod Fishery, April 29th, 2003]

They will continue. We are getting editorial comment from the backbench.

I have one thing I would like to correct. The member indicated that I did not consult and that I did not have discussions with the people most affected. He should know that I had discussions with the ministers of fisheries of all provinces concerned on many occasions on this matter, that I discussed this with the minister of fisheries from his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador which is the most affected on December 2; February 19, 20, 21; March 11, 17; and April 28, and on a number of occasions with the FFAW and FANL of Newfoundland and Labrador. So, there has been a full discussion.

I knew that my decision to close all fish activity for northern cod in the gulf stocks of the northern and southern Gulf of St. Lawrence would spark a range of opinions both for and against. But I was convinced, and remained convinced, that it was the right thing to do.

In making this difficult decision I took into full consideration the impacts that such a move would have. I come from a coastal community myself and I know the important economic benefits that spring from a strong fishery. I fully appreciate the importance these cod stocks hold for many communities in Atlantic Canada, particularly in Newfoundland, Labrador and Quebec. However, scientific data paints a grim picture of the future of these stocks if fishing continues.

For all three stocks, abundance and the number of spawning adults is low and declining. To compound the difficulty, high mortality and low production of juveniles is slowing growth of the adult population. All three of these stocks are below the levels where the harm is serious.

This trend will be very hard to reverse, even with the closure I have announced. Past experience has taught us how dangerous it is to ignore this advice.

The moratorium of the 1990s is a harsh and unpleasant reminder of the price one has to pay for ignoring scientific data, succumbing to the temptation of taking a short term view and not putting conservation first.

I know that the hon. members from both sides of this House remember the impact of this moratorium on the lives of those affected. I do too.

As the minister responsible, I will not allow this to happen again. Last week, as difficult as it was, in the interest of conservation and the future of our coastal communities, I announced the closure of recreational and commercial fishing on cod.

To the communities affected, I am sure everyone in the House tonight extends their sincere sympathies and the best hopes for the future, but I am confident that Canadians understand that this difficult decision stems from my unshakeable commitment to my most fundamental responsibility as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans: to conserve our fish for the future.

Closing the fishery is a necessary first step on the long road to rebuilding these stocks, but, by itself, closing the fishery will not bring the cod back. It is one part of a comprehensive rebuilding package that I announced last week.

I would like to point out that many of the ideas stem from recommendations made to me by a number of dedicated groups: the Newfoundland and Labrador Federal and Provincial All-Party Committee, the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, le Groupe de travail sur le poisson de fond du Québec, and the Eminent Panel on Seals.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to each group for their hard work and determination to find the best ways to rebuild this important stock in the future.

One of the most important issues that has been raised with respect to the recovery of these stocks is the impact that seals have on the population. Earlier this year I announced a new, flexible, multi-year management plan for seals which increased the total allowable catch on harp seals and provided economic benefits to Canadian sealers.

In addition to these management measures, I announced that we will be implementing a two year $6 million program to advance our understanding of the complex interaction between seals and cod stocks. This investment will help us learn more about the relationship between predators and prey, and how to manage this relationship. It will also help us to create seal exclusion zones in selected areas of Atlantic Canada. These areas will be selected to test seal explosion and control methods. DFO will work with provincial governments and the fishing industry to identify the boundaries of the areas as soon as possible.

A number of groups also recommended to me that in areas where the commercial fishery is closed the recreational fishery should also be closed. I agree, and for this reason decided that there would be no direct recreational fishery on cod in the Gulf of St. Lawrence or to the east of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In addition, special conservation measures are required in the Hawke Channel and the Bonavista Corridor to protect spawning and juvenile concentrations of cod and their habitat.

The area currently closed to trawling in the Hawke Channel will be expanded, and a new closed area will be created in the Bonavista Corridor. We will consult with the industry to decide the specifics of how this will be implemented.

The link between capelin and cod is not clear. However, I think it is clear that cod depend on capelin for food. For this reason, I am announcing a 40% reduction in the total allowable catch of capelin.

And finally, we are committed to maintaining a sentinel fishery in these areas. This will ensure that fishermen will continue to be actively involved in collecting essential information on the cod stocks on which they and their communities rely.

Taken together these actions will help us to monitor these cod stocks and facilitate their rebuilding. They will help us to ensure a brighter future, both for the cod stocks and the communities that rely on them.

Conservation is an investment in the future. I am confident that Canadians understand the importance of learning from past lessons and putting conservation in the future of our proud fishing communities first. As minister, my responsibility on this issue is to conserve Canada's fisheries and ensure that future generations are able to benefit from them. For the sake of the fish and for the sake of the coastal communities that rely on them, taking the steps I have outlined today is the right thing to do.

[Cod Fishery, April 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform you that I will be sharing my speaking time with the hon. Minister of State responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

I wish congratulate the member for Bonavista—Trinity—Conception for asking that we have this debate and discussion. I think it is very important that we do so. It is also a pleasure to follow the member for St. John's West. We do not always agree. We have had many intelligent debates, both inside and outside the House.

[Fisheries, April 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the member will recognize that my job as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans first and foremost in respect to those communities is to ensure a proper protection and conservation of those stocks, so there can be a fishery in the future for this generation and for others. That means taking responsible measures now. Sometimes that means short term sacrifice.

This was a very difficult decision, which will have dire impacts on those communities. I am proud of the work of my colleague with ACOA and my colleague with DEC who will work effectively with the communities to respond to those needs.