Fisheries committee  Thank you very much. Both Mr. MacPherson and I will be presenting the statement. I will start and he will conclude. Thank you. On behalf of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association, I would like to thank the chair and the fisheries committee for the opportunity to once again respond to issues that impact our fishing community.

Fisheries committee  We've been working in consultation with both levels of government here in P.E.I. With the federal government, we've met with the minister a couple of times since Fiona, and we also work closely with our provincial government. We had a very significant ghost gear cleanup after the storm.

Fisheries committee  Thank you for your question. Aquaculture is not part of PEIFA's mandate. That's part of the mandate of the aquaculture alliance. I do know anecdotally from speaking with people who work in the industry that there has been a great deal of devastation there as well, and maybe even more so than in some of the other fisheries.

Fisheries committee  The spring fishery will begin on May 1, 2023. That's our largest fishery in LFA 24 and 26A.

Fisheries committee  It will be a significant impact for sure because, obviously, they need to be able to set their gear and to return home every day. It is imperative that those wharves are in good shape for the fishermen to do that. Of course, they need to bring in their landing so that can be brought to the buyers and then to the processors to provide the products to the consumers.

Fisheries committee  I would like to turn it over to Mr. Watts. He is with the Harbour Authority of Covehead. Covehead was one of the hardest hit harbours here in P.E.I., and he can speak to that directly.

Fisheries committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for the invitation to speak here today. I have appearing with me, Mr. Mitch Jollimore, who is a fisherman entrepreneur, as well as Mr. Gerard Watts, a representative from the Covehead Harbour Authority. The P.E.I.

Fisheries committee  I am going to defer to my colleague, Melanie Giffin.

Fisheries committee  Thank you for your question. I'm going to defer to Melanie Giffin. She is the P.E.I. marine biologist and also the lead on the file for us. Thank you.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be making the statement today. Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for the invitation to speak here today. The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association was created in the 1950s and has evolved alongside the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to create the well-established working relationship we currently maintain.

Fisheries committee  I guess we feel that it should be consistent that all fishers report their catches on a consistent basis.

Fisheries committee  I would invite my colleague, Mr. Ian MacPherson, to weigh in on this question as well.

Fisheries committee  Good afternoon. Thank you, Ian. In addition to improved data collection, it's imperative that DFO and the Government of Canada recognize the contribution by independent owner-operators in terms of food security. As the past two years have shown us, supply chains can be disrupted at a moment's notice.