DRAFT SYNOPSIS
Public Consultation - Port aux Basques, April 4, 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
Port aux Basques, April 4, 2001

• Communities have to have a say in their destiny and should participate in fisheries management decision making processes.
• Historic participation and adjacency must be the bases for resource allocation.
• Community quotas must be considered.

Registered Speakers

• Councillor Cynthia Downey, NLFM
• Joanne Clarke, Executive Assistant to Honourable Kelvin Parsons, Minister of Justice, representing the Towns of Burgeo and Ramea on behalf of Mayor Allister Hann, Burgeo Town Council

What we heard in the Presentations

• Fishing communities must be fully integrated into the decision-making process.
• Canada should ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and ensure that the allocation criteria set forth by its administrators are strictly adhered to.
• DFO should consider the options of community-based co-management through the development of community-based management boards and the issuance of community development quotas.
• Science and research are key, an adequate science budget should be allocated. The best informed fisheries management decisions regarding conservation will come from a combination of fishermen’ traditional ecological knowledge, data from fisheries science and community input.
• There should be zero tolerance for blatant disregard of fundamental access to resource principles (northern shrimp was the example).
• Canada should extend the current 200-mile jurisdiction to include the Nose and Tail of the Grand Banks.
• Unless current practices change, resources within 3Ps and other divisions will continue to decline. The practice of allowing ghost nets must end.
• The problem of harvesting and processing over-capacity continues to cripple communities that rely on the benefits of exploiting a fishery. Communities must become more economically resilient to the unstable nature of the fisheries resources upon which they depend.
• Canada must control and protect its territorial waters, effective enforcement and monitoring control must be implemented.
• Harvesting methods that have negative impact on species other than the targetted species must be discontinued.
• The use of gear types that are non bio-degradable and continue to fish when lost or unattended must be discontinued.
• Harvesting of the groundfish food chain (i.e. capelin) for commercial purposes must be discontinued.
• Protest groups such as IFAW and Greenpeace must be ignored when making management decisions, seals must be culled and kept at a sustainable level.
• Policies for management when put in place must be free of political and union interference.
• NAFO does not and will never work, Canada must take control of the Continental Shelf and withdraw from NAFO.
• There must not be any more trade-offs of fish to gain international agreements in other commodities.
• Harvesting should be conducted at the time of year when the product will give the optimum return (i.e. shrimp should be harvested during the winter to realize the maximum price).
• Doubtful that harvesters/industry self-enforcement will work.
• Recognition of old treaties and Aboriginal rights should not apply to the island portion of Newfoundland.
• Community quotas must be considered.
• Companies should not be able to move fish stocks historically processed in one community to facilities in another, without reference to the community. Communities must have a say in their destiny.

What we heard in the Round Table Discussion

Conservation

• Education and the need for training of fishermen must be factored in if DFO expects a consensus on the meaning of conservation.
• Conservation must continue to be undertaken by DFO with buy-in from the commercial industry.

Economic and Social Viability

• Agreement with the principles and the need for a role for municipal governments in any policies developed.
• Municipalities must buy-in to the direction proposed by DFO.
• Municipal officials would be willing to participate in the process and, as a preliminary contribution, could offer to provide the location to hold meetings of concerned parties.

Access and Allocations

• The government should continue to play an active role in the access and allocations process.
• In the past few years in Newfoundland, there has been a movement to look at the bigger picture. If we had a clear set of criteria and a transparent process, all would benefit.

Governance

• Fishermen know their area best and, as a consequence, are equipped to participate in the management of their fishery, their local knowledge should be used in local management decisions. They are willing to co-manage with DFO.
• As the idea of shared decision making evolves, DFO will have to consider the requirements for education and training to allow the industry to take on more responsibilities.