Fisheries committee  Thank you for the question. In the case of a positive listing decision where the steelhead would be listed, you're asking how we would distinguish.... In fact, I don't know. Maybe Mr. Thomson can respond.

Fisheries committee  My view, and it speaks to the previous question, is that DFO and B.C. need to work collaboratively to come up with management measures that will effectively protect the species in a number of different ways, such as reducing bycatch, managing our fisheries, habitat protection, water protection and water flows.

Fisheries committee  Thank you very much. Good afternoon committee members, and thank you, Mr. McDonald, for inviting the department to appear before the committee today. I am Rebecca Reid. I'm the Regional Director General for Pacific Region. I'm honoured to appear before the standing committee, as are my colleagues who have joined me.

Fisheries committee  Unfortunately, I think the answer is that it depends. For a vessel-based licence, you can only put a licence on that fits the vessel length requirements. It would depend upon what it is that you're trying to diversify. There are other examples of diversification. For example, in a salmon fishery we have area-based licences.

Fisheries committee  Just to add to the vision piece, PICFI is an element, but the big, broad vision has been and continues to be conservation and sustainable harvest. On the question of co-management, are you talking about first nations co-management? The idea behind co-management is that we would work with a particular first nations community on managing a fishery.

Fisheries committee  Is that for salmon?

Fisheries committee  Oh, I see. You're asking what the future is; what, from a fisheries perspective, is most promising. That question really comes down to conservation and sustainable management. Some of the shellfish fisheries are very successful, well-managed and sustainable. You can see the wealth in those fisheries as a result of the controls and management that are in place.

Fisheries committee  Yes.

Fisheries committee  Andy, why don't you talk about the Harrison example?

Fisheries committee  I'll start with a couple of factors. Some of the things we take into account you've already mentioned. First of all, first nations participation is very important to us. We have processes in place that provide us advice about the impacts on local communities. There's an example in the groundfish industry, where there's a board that provides us advice about shares of quota, as an example of a way to provide equity.

Fisheries committee  The PICFI program is essentially a licence transfer program, so you're moving willing buyer/willing seller commercial licences to first nations communities. It can be marine. Coastal communities or inland communities can also benefit from it. It's a bit of a long answer that you probably wouldn't like, but as we talk about access to inland groups, we have taken salmon licences and essentially split them up so that the species that are available to those first nations can have demonstration-style commercial fisheries on them through the access provided by PICFI, but PICFI overall is about transferring access from the regular commercial fleet to indigenous groups.

Fisheries committee  I would recommend that this committee provide advice to the minister for consideration, and we would develop a response that would take that into account.

Fisheries committee  If the minister were to say, Rebecca, implement or at least give me some advice on the recommendations from this committee, I would work with my ADM colleagues, with the deputy minister. We would also, if directed, undertake a consultative approach to consider the types of recommendations that had been offered and to understand the impacts, the implications and the views of people.

Fisheries committee  Compensation isn't something that we would normally consider, with some exceptions. We have licence retirement programs. Where we have reduced capacity in the fleet, we have offered these voluntary programs, which do allow people to leave the industry and receive amounts of money.

Fisheries committee  We certainly have reallocated access from regular commercial fishermen to indigenous groups. Yes, there have been a number of reallocations. That would mean people would be leaving the industry. Yes.