Fisheries committee  I don't think it's as simple as an increase to the penalties. I heard a member of this committee suggest two weeks ago, as the committee was meeting on IUU, that he had heard from local C and P officers in his community that they “close their eyes” for certain groups of fisherma

Fisheries committee  I think that's a reasonable path forward. I think it can also lead to the resolution of another key problem that I haven't mentioned. It's that Nanos polling has revealed that a majority of fishermen in the Maritimes feel that the biggest threat to their fisheries is indigenous o

Fisheries committee  Certainly, the lobster resource is cyclical. The catches go up and down throughout the years. Catches are affected by environmental factors and lots of other things, but we believe that there is beginning to be a cumulative effect, especially in places like southwest Nova Scotia

Fisheries committee  Sadly, there's a huge lack of communication between fishery leadership right now and first nations leadership in the Maritimes, because of the unfortunate situation that unfolded in 2020. What I'll say about it is this. Every fisher in Atlantic Canada recognizes that there's a d

Fisheries committee  I think the first one centres on communications. There needs to be clear communication to the fishing communities of Atlantic Canada about what FSC rights constitute and what they don't constitute. That needs to come from the very top. It's a responsibility of the government and

Fisheries committee  There certainly has been communication about it from the industry to the department, but there's been no communication back. I think the opportunity is still there. I know that all the fishery leaders in the Maritimes are ready to sit at that table.

Fisheries committee  There's a really simple answer to that question. The department needs to equally enforce the law, regardless of a fisher's identity. For the benefit of all stakeholders in the fishery, the department needs to seize the vessels that are engaged in the out-of-season fishing.

Fisheries committee  I was really hoping to be asked that question today. This summer, our members and fishermen across the maritime provinces were polled by Nanos, and the poll showed some really interesting things. I think one of the most important things it revealed was that 67% of harvesters in

Fisheries committee  I actually think it's central to resolution of the issue. It's something we have harped on to DFO for years. If we could understand what the nature of rights implementation would be so that we could relay that to our members, the integration would happen much more smoothly. The

Fisheries committee  Yes, certainly we do. We consider the RPPSG a very close ally. Our positions on the issue are very closely aligned, I would say. The issue has really important implications for the future of Quebec fisheries. We certainly co-operate fully and frequently with the RPPSG.

Fisheries committee  Certainly. There is a group or coalition amongst people in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the RPPSG, the MFU, the PEIFA and the gulf fleet planning board. We represent essentially the same interests in the Maritimes region. Although we're not officially both part of the same group,

Fisheries committee  I think from fishermen's perspective in Atlantic Canada, the whole point is that we don't know the answer to that question, because the government refuses to keep any type of accurate records about FSE fisheries. Records were kept for a while, until the records started to reveal

Fisheries committee  Starting back in 2016, fishery organizations in the Maritimes came together in Sambro, Nova Scotia. We tried to bring relevant government departments to bear on the issue: CFIA, CBSA, DFO—

Fisheries committee  Okay. I would say that there's a lot of room for the government to improve, with collaboration between the relevant agencies, to stop the movement of the product from Nova Scotia to the marketplace.

Fisheries committee  I think sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't, depending on how many hands it has passed through. Certainly, when the product is being landed in massive quantities out of season, there has to be a recognition by the processors that it's unlawfully harvested.