Fisheries committee  I appreciate that. We don't have specific data quantitatively in terms of impacts. If you're looking at modernized provisions, it would be nice to have the regulatory authority but also the resources to do that. We have evidence in some of the reductions that we've seen in the

Fisheries committee  I'll add to it. Thanks, Minister.

Fisheries committee  In the Fisheries Act, there are five threats to fisheries that are addressed. Pollution is under section 36 and dealt with by Environment Canada. For overfishing, we have the fisheries management sections. For aquatic evasive species, we have the enabling of a regulation there. F

Fisheries committee  I think there are three areas in that section 35 that have led to confusion, questions, and uncertainty. The first one is “commercial, recreational or Aboriginal fishery”, because previously it was just everything. Now it is “commercial, recreational or Aboriginal fishery”. What

Fisheries committee  Thanks for that introduction, Minister. As the deputy was pointing out, I think I may be in that picture up there.

Fisheries committee  I would say that regardless of whether it was the previous section 35 or the current section 35, there always are some interesting situations. I can remember two or three examples where someone wanted to put a barrier in place to ensure that sea lamprey couldn't get up the river.

Fisheries committee  Tony Matson will be making the presentation, but I'd just like to say how pleased we are to be here to give this presentation and to answer your questions on supplementary estimates (B). As you know, the minister was here last week with the deputy minister. They aren't available

Fisheries committee  It will continue. It's an important issue. We have 750 core harbours that have been identified as such, and then we have another about 300 that are non-core that we are seeking to divest. We divested over 1,000 over the last number of years, so it's been a substantive effort. Th

Fisheries committee  I don't know the answer to that question.

Fisheries committee  After which?

Fisheries committee  Sorry, that dumped...?

Fisheries committee  I think when we take a decision on closing a fishery, a moratorium on any fishery, science is the foundation. Science is always the bottom line. When we are talking about getting ready to reopen a fishery, we would consider socio-economic impacts, we would consider the views of t

Fisheries committee  I would say that we don't often look at what public opinion says on this. What we would generally look at in this type of a decision, again, we would start with the science, but in addition to the science are the economic impacts and the social impacts. If there is public opinion

Fisheries committee  In terms of enforcement writ large, we have a complement of about 600 enforcement officers across the country. In terms of resources, I'll say two things, because I think you're speaking about the fisheries protection issues. We have 600 enforcement officers writ large dealing wi

Fisheries committee  Section 36, which is the section of the Fisheries Act, is the first piece that is implicated there, and that is an Environment Canada lead. Section 36 is the pollution section. It is about the deposit of deleterious substances into fish-bearing waters. That would be an Environmen