DRAFT SYNOPSIS
Public Consultation - Charlottetown, March 27, 2001

Foreword

The Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review (AFPR) is being undertaken by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to develop a consistent and cohesive policy framework for the management of Canada’s East Coast fish stocks. The process of the review includes consultations with provinces/territories, aboriginal interests, the fishing industry, and other interested parties.

The work of the AFPR is being done in two phases: Phase I will produce a policy framework, which will address the questions: What do we want to achieve in fisheries management over the long term? What are our objectives and principles? Phase II will establish priorities and begin to operationalize elements from the policy framework (developed in Phase I), and will answer the question: How do we get there?

The purpose of the public consultations held in March and April was to receive comments and feedback about Phase I of the policy review – the development of a policy framework. A discussion document "The Management of Fisheries on Canada’s Atlantic Coast – A Discussion Document on Policy Direction and Principles" was prepared by DFO. The document which sought to provide a focus for stakeholder input on policy directions and options, was used to guide the round of public consultations held across Atlantic Canada.

The discussion document outlines broad objectives and proposes several principles centred around four main policy themes: conservation, economic and social viability, access and allocations and governance. It also contains a section on roles and responsibilities, which clarifies DFO’s role with respect to other federal departments and agencies, other governments, the commercial industry, and other resource users.

The document was released on February 7, 2001, and distributed to stakeholder groups and others who had indicated an interest in the Review process. In addition, a brochure, which summarized the document, was mailed to every commercial fisheries licence holder in Newfoundland, the Maritimes, Quebec and Nunavut (65,000 copies).

The 19 public consultation sessions held throughout Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Nunavut in March and April, 2001, were open to all and a broad cross section of those with an interest in the Atlantic fisheries came to the sessions and expressed their views.

The same format was followed at each meeting. The meeting began with a brief discussion about the purpose of the meeting and the agenda for the consultation. This was followed by a short presentation which summarized the discussion document. Registered speakers who indicated they would like to make formal presentations were next to speak. Finally, a round table discussion on the four policy themes was held, followed by a brief discussion on next steps including options for additional input.

We indicated that written summaries of the 19 public consultation sessions would be provided to those who attended the meeting and who had signed our registration sheet. This report honours that commitment. The summaries are divided into three parts. First, re-occurring issues or themes from the public meeting which include comments from the formal presentations and round table discussions are provided. The themes are included for ease of reference and should not be interpreted as having more importance than individual comments. Second, a list of speakers who made formal presentations and the highlights of their presentations are noted. Third, a summary of the comments provided during the round table discussion organized by policy themes, is also provided.

In addition to holding public consultation sessions, we invited groups and individuals to submit written comments on the discussion document (with a deadline of May 31, 2001).

Fisheries and Oceans
August 2001

Themes arising from the Session
Charlottetown, March 27, 2001

• General support for the document with suggestions how to achieve objectives of management principles.
• DFO should continue to be responsible for access to the resource while allocation decision-making can be shared with industry participants.
• Owner-operator and fleet separation policies should be retained.
• Greater enforcement is required to ensure conservation targets can be met.
• Fish taken for food, social and ceremonial purposes exceeds actual requirements/needs.

Registered Speakers

• Chris Wall, Malpeque Lobster Fishermen
• Kevin Robertson, PEI Fisherman's Association
• Eddy MacGillivray, Blomming Point Property Owners
• Dave Gillis, Province of Prince Edward Island

What we heard in the Presentations:

• Fish harvested for food, social and ceremonial purposes currently exceeds a ‘reasonable’ limit.
• DFO should have its budget restored to an adequate level, rather than funding management by the fishermen.
• Aboriginal participants in the fishery should follow the same rules and seasons as other participants.
• The level of enforcement must be increased if conservation is to be achieved.
• The owner-operator policy should be the cornerstone of fisheries management.
• DFO should close loopholes that allow non-licence holders to reap the benefits of licences.
• Given the high cost of licences, DFO should seek an exemption from the capital gains tax to facilitate transfers of licences at reasonable rates.
• Waterfront homeowners should be consulted before aquaculture sites are decided to preserve access to the water for recreational use.
• Regulations on aquaculture siting should be tightened up to ensure others can use the water (i.e. Tracadie Bay is now beyond capacity and in some areas access to the water is not possible by recreational boaters, although if access were possible, there is no way around the existing aquaculture sites).
• The review of policies should be an on-going activity rather than one embarked upon every 20 years.
• Transfer of responsibility and co-management are sound concepts but should be embarked upon carefully as industry develops the capacity to assume additional responsibilities and to allow provinces to assess the impact on provincial responsibilities such as training, professionalization, etc.
• The precautionary approach should be adopted in the conduct of this policy review exercise.
• It is recognized that other federal departments and agencies, along with provincial governments, have roles in reducing the dependence of individuals and communities on the fishery.

What we heard in the Round Table Discussion

Conservation

• If we want future generations to be able to fish, we have to conserve the resource now.
• All parties must come to the table with a willingness to work toward conservation.
• Agreement that First Nations have a place in the commercial fishery, but should follow the same rules and seasons and other commercial fishermen.
• The only remaining lucrative fishery in Prince Edward Island is the lobster fishery; we have to look after the viability of the resource first.
• A potential threat to the stocks is the proliferation of oil and gas exploration; there is a need for coordination among all governments on allowable exploration, and then communication to fishermen.
• The non-Core fishermen currently have no input into the decision-making process; they would like to have a more open and inclusive process.
• There should be a more equitable sharing among commercial fishermen (how many lobster traps is enough?).
• Fishermen are doing their share to conserve the resource, but the total lack of enforcement by DFO is not helping them; suggestion was to use the money spent on consultations to enforce the fishery.
• Without enforcement it will be impossible to ensure conservation.

Economic and Social Viability

• Lobsters that have ostensibly been taken as part of the food fishery are being sold to processors; this should stop.
• In order to achieve economic and social viability, the owner-operator and fleet separation policies should be retained.
• On Prince Edward Island, only the minority of fishermen are represented by fishermen’s associations; if participation were mandatory it would force people to come to the table and work things out. Right now there is no incentive for a fisherman to be represented by an association. It is recognized that professionalization is a provincial, rather than federal, jurisdiction.
• Professionalization is a ‘must’ and must be continued.

Access and Allocations

• DFO should implement a licence for recreational tidal fishing; it is not fair that commercial fishermen must buy a licence while others can fish for free.
• If any activity affects the shoreline (i.e. an aquaculture site, or construction of waterfront buildings), adequate consultation with local residents and property owners should be held.
• DFO is needed as a paternal figure, particularly to settle disputes among groups. We’re reasonably happy with the way DFO manages the fishery.
• Under the current system, the federal government funds Aboriginal groups whereas fishermen must pay their own costs.
• Stability of access to the resource has to be a goal and achieving it will be tied directly to establishment of a mechanism to deal with current problems.
• A third party dispute settlement mechanism is supported although DFO may not be able to sever itself from the access process. DFO must ensure that whichever third party is selected to resolve the dispute, it be suitable, transparent and appropriate.

Governance

• If DFO is to proceed in the way outlined in the discussion document, fishermen will need access to training to allow them to assume more responsibility.
• If a person wants to enter the aquaculture business, there is no financial assistance; training should be provided.
• DFO will need to develop a strategic approach on how to handle the sharing of responsibilities; if this is not done correctly, problems will arise.
• While some believe mandatory representation in professional associations should be required, others do not support that view.
• DFO should consult with each fisherman individually; the cost of attending meetings is becoming prohibitive.