MINUTES FROM THE 21 february 2014

MINUTES

1 - Welcome

Richard Nadeau welcomes the participants and indicates that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea, commended the Quebec Region Liaison Committee's initiative at the Quebec Fish Processors Association's convention in January. Mr. Nadeau also mentions that work is underway within DFO for the renewal of Atlantic fisheries management policies. DFO's Minister will soon be issuing a press release reiterating her support for the Policy for Preserving the Independence of the Inshore Fleet in Canada's Atlantic Fisheries (PPIIFCAF) and reminding stakeholders that the deadline for terminating controlling agreements is approaching. During her recent visit to Québec, she also restated that she was willing to consider the flexibility measures requested by the industry for fisheries management policies.

Click here to read the press release issued February 24

2 - Follow-up on the minutes from the November 27, 2013 meeting

Consultation regarding the proposed addition of marine fish to the Species at Risk Act list

• The consultation period has been extended. Therefore, it is still possible for comments to be submitted on the Species at Risk Public Registry by clicking on the links below:
  • Atlantic Cod
  • American Plaice
  • Redfish
• Several participants mention the fact that the socio-economic analysis presented during the consultation meetings underestimated the impacts on coastal communities. They consider that the analysis should be based on reference years preceding the moratorium on cod fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence so that the potential revenues of groundfish fishing enterprises can be taken into account. Furthermore, the participants report that the analysis fails to address the indirect socio-economic impacts such as job losses in factories, losses in terms of Employment Insurance benefits, etc.
• It is mentioned that additional measures other than the listing of species should be considered in order to reduce the socio-economic impacts on the industry, such as tightening up measures to reduce cod by-catch and exercising better control over capelin fishing (forage species). The seal population management issue is also mentioned.
• The Association des pêcheurs de la Basse Côte-Nord says that it will submit a document consolidating the views of Lower North Shore fishers on the need for a comprehensive approach to the groundfish situation in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Review of fisheries management tools

Work continues with the pilot project on Area 17 snow crab and finding solutions to reduce costs related to at-sea observers and dockside monitoring.

3 - Analysis of requests for modifications and simplification of fisheries management policies on the Atlantic coast

Additional information and clarifications were added to the presentation given on November 27. Three documents were sent to the committee members, namely, a table on the registered length of vessels in Quebec (by species subject to directed fishery), a table on the registered length of vessels in Newfoundland and Labrador (for major fisheries) and a detailed document describing suggestions for modifications to or simplification of fisheries management policies for Quebec fleets.

Patrick Vincent asks all representatives present whether the documentation provided is sufficient for them to hold consultations with their members. All participants are satisfied with the material provided. Many feel that the issuance of licences to trusts or independent fishermen's entities is their priority (item #7 of the document). However, since this view is largely shared across the Atlantic region, this issue must be addressed in a much larger forum than the Quebec Region's Liaison Committee so that the Minister can consider making changes. This topic will therefore be discussed with the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation, which represents many groups, but the Liaison Committee will serve as a means of relaying to DFO's Headquarters the views of the Quebec Region established through consensus, such as the Quebec industry's strong interest in allowing the issuance of licences to trusts and entities. This will ensure that all the fishing groups in Quebec have the chance to express their views.

One participant is particularly interested in the modification of rules surrounding the professionalization of fishers (item #4 of the document) and vessel lengths (item #1).
Next steps

• Representatives of fishers' associations are asked to determine, along with their members, which of the policies examined in the document should be given priority and how (on a fleet-by-fleet basis? at the regional level? at the Atlantic level?).
• Proposed modifications and simplification will subsequently be examined in detail with each association or as a group, depending on the option chosen.

4 - Next meeting

The next meeting will be held mid-June or end of June by teleconference. The aim of this meeting will be to prioritize the policies to be modified.

The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m.

Minutes prepared by Evelyne Dufault on March 5, 2014.