Fisheries committee  The Heiltsuks proposed a marketing approach to market product in a different way in 2006, and they felt they had an opportunity and a market they could explore in 2006. As part of the discussion we entered into, and in the memorandum of understanding we arrived at, we agreed to a one-time allocation to see if that market could be proven and if it would in fact be helpful to achieve future stable arrangements.

Fisheries committee  No. It was a one-time allocation. That was it.

Fisheries committee  No. At least some members of the spawn-on-kelp organization are not.

Fisheries committee  They felt they were left out. They disputed the memorandum of understanding. They feel that the allocation for the Heiltsuks disrupted the market, changed the price, and so forth. It is true that some do feel that.

Fisheries committee  It's true. They do believe that, or at least they're saying that at this point in time. That's not the only issue up for discussion. The other issue is how we manage the roe herring fishery generally in their area. They are concerned that the roe herring fishery, which is substantially larger, adversely affects their ability to catch spawn on kelp.

Fisheries committee  That was cooperatively with the Heiltsuk Nation. It was an MOU signed by the first nations, the department, and by the industry itself. We had extensive cooperation in season. I remain optimistic, but you're right: there's still a difference. We still have to work it out. We haven't yet arrived at a long-term arrangement.

Fisheries committee  Yes.

Fisheries committee  Each licence holder has a choice as to whether they want to belong to the spawn-on-kelp organization, which is a commercial organization of licence holders. Most spawn-on-kelp licence holders do belong to that organization. That's the organization the department interacts with. When we want to get advice, for example, from the spawn-on-kelp industry, we interact with the spawn-on-kelp organization.

Fisheries committee  The roe is removed and sold to Japan—the same market and only market. So the spawn-on-kelp fishery relative to the roe herring fishery is small, and therefore the Heiltsuk believe the quantity provided by the department through the negotiations is inadequate. In a couple of years, we've had protests and challenging situations that have destabilized both the spawn-on-kelp fishery and the roe herring fishery on the central coast.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to start off with a short presentation on the subject of the spawn-on-kelp fishery. In a moment I'll explain what this actually is, but I'd like to cover three things. First of all, I want to start with a brief history of fisheries management. I want to talk a little about the market for the spawn-on-kelp fishery.

Fisheries committee  That's certainly a consideration. In fact, just to enlarge on that, when Pacific salmon enter marine water, they then migrate thousands of kilometres to the north Pacific Ocean. In that process, they feed and grow, and then they return. If ocean temperatures are increasing, Pacific salmon will try to avoid those warm temperature conditions, so they will migrate farther.

Fisheries committee  They went out in 2003.

Fisheries committee  These are Pacific salmon juveniles. The adults have spawned, the eggs have hatched, and the fish spend about one year in a lake. They then migrate down the Fraser River, go into the ocean, where they spend two years, and then they come back as adults. When the fish hit the ocean in 2003, we know that the ocean surface temperatures were unusually warm--one to three degrees above normal.

Fisheries committee  It could be a combination of two things: predation, or changes in prey abundance. These young fish are feeding actively. They need to put on weight so they can survive the huge migratory pathway to the north Pacific Ocean. It's possible the prey they normally consume wasn't there in the amounts they required, or alternatively, predators were there in numbers that were different from normal.

Fisheries committee  You've accurately described the season. I just want to step back a bit so that all the members understand how it's managed, and then try to answer your two questions. First of all, we forecast how many fish are going to come back. That's the first thing we do. Those fish are out in the far north Pacific and then they migrate and come back into Canadian waters, and eventually into the mouth of the Fraser.