43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJune 21, 2021432-00926432-00926 (Employment and labour)JackHarrisSt. John's EastNDPNLMay 7, 2021June 21, 2021November 24, 2020Petition to the Government of CanadaWhereas the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented situation for fish plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador that rivals the cod moratorium;Whereas season delays, production slowdowns and rock-bottom prices have left thousands of plant workers in an economic crisis.We, the undersigned fisheries workers, call upon the Government of Canada to amend the current Employment Insurance (E.I.) program to extend E.I. benefits for a 12-month period for fish processing plani workers and other fishing industry support workers who qualified for E.I. based on the 2019 fishing season. Furthermore, we call on the Government of Canada to adjust the 14-week divisor based on the actual weeks of work to account for any discrepancy in reduced hours due to COVID-19.
Response by the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability InclusionSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Irek KusmierczykThe Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for sharing their views on the need to support fish processing plant workers and other fishing industry support workers. The Government recognizes that many Canadians continue to face financial impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these unprecedented times, the Government of Canada has focused on putting in place measures to help as many Canadians as possible in a timely manner.As part of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the Government has transitioned from the          Canada Emergency Response Benefit to a simplified Employment Insurance (EI) program, effective      September 27, 2020, to provide income support to eligible workers who remain unable to work. Recognizing that many workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will have lost their jobs or worked reduced hours, a set of temporary measures were introduced to facilitate access to EI benefits. These measures include allowing workers to qualify for EI one-time with 120 hours of work, introducing a minimum benefit rate of $500 per week (or $300 for extended parental benefits), providing a maximum entitlement of up to 50 weeks of regular benefits, and temporarily waiving the waiting period for new EI claims established between     January 31, 2021 and September 25, 2021.To better support seasonal workers and ensure they do not lose access to needed financial support, the Government has proposed legislative changes in Budget 2021 to extend the rules of the existing EI seasonal pilot project until October 2022. The measure would provide up to five additional weeks of EI regular benefits to claimants in 13 regions in Canada, including the region of Newfoundland / Labrador (excluding Saint John’s).As the economy reopens, the EI system must remain responsive to the needs of Canadians. The Government has proposed a suite of temporary legislative changes to make EI more accessible and simple for Canadians over the coming year while the job market continues to improve.More specifically, the temporary changes would:
  • maintain uniform access to EI benefits across all regions, including through a 420-hour entrance requirement for regular and special benefits, with a 14-week minimum entitlement for regular benefits, and a new common earnings threshold for fishing benefits.
  • support multiple job holders and those who switch jobs to improve their situation as the recovery firms up, by ensuring that all insurable hours and employment count towards a claimant's eligibility, as long as the last job separation is found to be valid.
  • allow claimants to start receiving EI benefits sooner by simplifying rules around the treatment of severance, vacation pay, and other monies paid on separation.
  • extend the temporary enhancements to the Work-Sharing program such as the possibility to establish longer work-sharing agreements and a streamlined application process, which will continue to help employers and workers avoid layoffs.
Budget 2021 also announces forthcoming consultations on future, long-term reforms to EI. Consultations will examine systemic gaps exposed by COVID-19, such as how to provide more consistent and reliable benefits to workers in seasonal industries.Once again, the Government of Canada wishes to thank the petitioners.
Employment insuranceFisheries and fishers
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021e-2725e-2725 (Fisheries)WilliamBraidwoodMelArnoldNorth Okanagan—ShuswapConservativeBCJuly 7, 2020, at 3:04 p.m. (EDT)November 4, 2020, at 3:04 p.m. (EDT)December 4, 2020January 25, 2021November 4, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="4" affiliationId="253373" mp-riding-display="1">Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard</Addressee>Whereas:The public fishery in British Columbia depends on predictable access to marine and aquatic resources;The public fishery in British Columbia is a source of benefits, including food security, cultural traditions, recreation, mental health, employment and economic opportunity for hundreds of thousands of British Columbians;The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard and the Government of Canada have chosen to ignore viable and sustainable proposals from British Columbians for managing fisheries that may encounter Fraser River Chinook;The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard and the Government of Canada have failed to implement a coordinated, properly funded, comprehensive, ecosystem-based recovery plan and strategy to rebuild stocks and habitat for Fraser River Chinook; andThe Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard and the Government of Canada have failed to acknowledge the presence of other abundant Chinook stocks.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to amend the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ 2020 Fraser River Chinook salmon management measures to acknowledge the existence of abundant Chinook stocks elsewhere on the coast and allow avoidance zones and mark selective fisheries that have been proposed for times and places where endangered Fraser River Chinook are absent or unlikely to be present, and provide details to Canadians for the immediate development of a comprehensive recovery strategy and plan for Fraser River stocks of concern to be implemented as soon as possible.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanA broad pattern of decline has affected many Chinook populations in southern British Columbia (BC). Many southern BC Chinook populations, particularly in the Fraser River face a number of challenges, including declining numbers returning to spawn, reduced survival and productivity, habitat pressures and a changing climate. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been increasing measures to conserve southern BC Chinook stocks for many years, with harvest restrictions increasing over time.In November 2018, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed seven Fraser Chinook populations as endangered, four as threatened and one as special concern. We urgently need to address these declines, as well as the changes to marine life and ecosystems that are directly affecting salmon and our coastal communities.In 2019 and 2020 DFO implemented significant new management measures designed to support the recovery of at-risk Fraser River Chinook populations, provide access for culturally important First Nations fisheries consistent with allocation priorities, and provide access for commercial and recreational fisheries to harvest healthy Chinook populations in times and areas where stocks of concern can be avoided. These measures were developed following consultation with Indigenous communities, recreational and commercial fishing organizations, and environmental organizations.DFO recognizes the challenges faced by all who depend on Pacific salmon for their sustenance, livelihood and recreation. While conservation is the highest priority in management of these populations, the Department is continuing to consider pilot recreational fishery opportunities to selectively target hatchery origin Chinook (i.e. using mark selective fisheries) or other healthy Chinook stocks in areas where at-risk Fraser Chinook can be avoided and where other conservation issues are not expected. In 2020, a limited number of these proposals were approved as pilots subject to requirements for catch monitoring/sampling to address effects of regulations and consultation with First Nations. DFO is currently compiling information to support a post-season review of all salmon fisheries and work is in progress to consider potential additional marked selective fishery opportunities in Spring 2021.It is important that we make decisions that will ultimately lead to strengthened salmon populations, so that we have healthy and abundant salmon runs in the future that will support Indigenous, commercial and recreational fisheries. Fishery management measures are only one component of a larger strategy intended to place at-risk Pacific salmon populations on a path towards sustainability. One element of this work is to evaluate the utility of mass marking (adipose fin clipping) of Canadian hatchery Chinook production and mark selective fisheries as conservation tools to enable harvest opportunities for identifiable marked hatchery fish while minimizing fishing mortality on wild stocks and maintaining reliable stock assessment information. Though mark selective fisheries are meant to allow harvest of relatively abundance hatchery fish, all selective fisheries have an associated mortality on unmarked (wild) fish and in cases where a mark selective fishery is not properly designed, implemented and monitored, this mortality can exceed that of a non-selective fishery. The Department is also conducting a pilot project to mass mark (adipose fin clip) Conuma Hatchery Chinook in conjunction with genetic-based tagging to establish whether genetic techniques, combined with enhanced catch monitoring, will provide the assessment information currently derived from the coded wire tag indicator stock program and determine whether this approach mitigates the impacts of mark selective fisheries.In addition, the Government of Canada is  devoting significant resources to broadly support recovery of Pacific salmon, including Chinook, through a variety of initiatives to address threats facing Chinook populations, including:
  • Habitat protection: Bringing in a new Fisheries Act to restore protections for fish habitat, and working closely with the BC government on land and water use policies that can impact critical habitat.
  • Habitat restoration: In partnership with the Province of BC, DFO created a BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund, contributing more than $142 million over five years, enabling salmon and habitat restoration projects in communities across the province.
  • Climate adaptation: DFO is researching how warming waters affect salmon through all life stages, and the implications for ecosystems and released our first State of Pacific Salmon report in 2019.
  • Improved stock assessment: In the 2018 Economic Statement DFO committed an additional $107 million to support the implementation of the Fish Stocks provisions of the renewed Fisheries Act. These resources will help improve Pacific salmon stock assessments and contribute to a better managed fishery.
  • Enhanced science and collaboration: To gain a better understanding of what is happening in the North Pacific and how salmon returns are being affected, DFO recently co-sponsored a second research expedition to the North Pacific with scientists drawn from five countries (Russia, United States, Japan, South Korea and Canada).
  • Big Bar landslide:  an investment of $176 million to install a permanent fishway through the site of the Big Bar landslide on the Fraser River
The Department is developing science advice on threats and limiting factors for at-risk Chinook populations and this information and science advice will inform the development of rebuilding plans for Chinook stocks of concern. The Department has also engaged with First Nations, the Province of BC, and stakeholders to support planning the development of these plans.
Chinook salmonFisheries and fishersFraser River
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00297432-00297 (Fisheries)GordJohnsCourtenay—AlberniNDPBCNovember 26, 2020January 25, 2021March 23, 2020Petition to the Government of CanadaWe, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the following:
  • THAT the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Pacific herring population dropped by approximately 1/3 between 2016 and 2019, and will drop by more than 50% by 2020;
  • THAT the unexpected drop in the herring population has led to overfishing of existing stock;
  • THAT Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other independent species on the Pacific coast;
  • THAT First Nations have constitutionally protected rights to herring which are an important food source and an integral part of First Nation cultures.
THEREFORE, we the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the government of Canada to suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole ecosystem plan is developed, to fairly compensate local fishers for economic losses, and to ensure that decisions are made with the full participation of First Nations and local communities.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanThe Government of Canada is committed to effectively managing Pacific herring fisheries through evidence-based decisions, ensuring the health and sustainability of these stocks into the future. We share your view that Pacific herring is an important source of food for many species on the Pacific coast and recognize that herring is an integral part of Frist Nations’ culture and that First Nations have priority access to herring for food, social, and ceremonial purposes, after conservation.Pacific herring are a forage fish species and as such, have large fluctuations in abundance, so a decline in biomass is not unexpected. Biomass forecasts are highly uncertain due to factors such as environmental conditions and predation, which vary from year to year. DFO’s harvest management approach is designed to account for this variability and sets the total allowable catch each year in the Strait of Georgia by applying a target harvest rate of 20 per cent to the forecast of spawning biomass.  This is an annual process where abundance and stock status are updated with the most recent information to inform the forecast of spawning biomass for the coming season. The performance of this approach has been evaluated by DFO Science and subjected to scientific peer review. The approach is designed to be very likely to avoid spawning biomass levels below an established limit reference point.The harvest level for the 2019-20 Strait of Georgia roe herring fishery was set at 10,895 metric tonnes, which was 20 per cent of the forecasted spawning biomass. This harvest level is considered precautionary, as it leaves 80 per cent of mature herring and all juvenile herring to support population and ecosystem processes such as food for salmon and marine mammals. The 2019-20 overall harvest was reduced from previous years as a result of the lower biomass forecast and the application of the 20 percent target harvest rate and the fishery was successfully managed within the harvest level set for it.  This reduction in the allowable catch is consistent with the conservation goals of the management approach and provides opportunity for industry, including those First Nations that participate in the commercial fishery. The 2020 Stock Assessment information for herring in the Strait of Georgia was recently released and estimates that the spawning biomass increased in 2020 from 2019 levels and that the stock remains at a healthy level.The approach outlined above is detailed in the 2019-20 Pacific Herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan, which was developed following consultations with First Nations’ communities and organizations, and stakeholders such as commercial harvesters. The consultation process ensures that fishery management decisions are transparent, made with the best available science and informed by Indigenous, commercial harvester, and public considerations.
Fisheries and fishersHerringSalish Sea
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledNovember 16, 2020432-00013432-00013 (Fisheries)GordJohnsCourtenay—AlberniNDPBCSeptember 25, 2020November 16, 2020March 23, 2020Petition to the Government of CanadaWe, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the following:
  • THAT the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Pacific herring population dropped by approximately 1/3 between 2016 and 2019, and will drop by more than 50% by 2020;
  • THAT the unexpected drop in the herring population has led to overfishing of existing stock;
  • THAT Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other independent species on the Pacific coast;
  • THAT First Nations have constitutionally protected rights to herring which are an important food source and an integral part of First Nation cultures.
THEREFORE, we the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the government of Canada to suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole ecosystem plan is developed, to fairly compensate local fishers for economic losses, and to ensure that decisions are made with the full participation of First Nations and local communities.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanThe Government of Canada is committed to effectively managing Pacific herring fisheries through evidence-based decisions, ensuring the health and sustainability of these stocks into the future. We share your view that Pacific herring is an important source of food for many species on the Pacific coast and recognize that herring is an integral part of Frist Nations’ culture and that First Nations have priority access to herring for food, social, and ceremonial purposes, after conservation.Pacific herring are a forage fish species and as such, have large fluctuations in abundance, so a decline in biomass is not unexpected. Biomass forecasts are highly uncertain due to factors such as environmental conditions and predation, which vary from year to year. DFO’s harvest management approach is designed to account for this variability. The performance of this approach has been evaluated by DFO Science and subjected to scientific peer review. The approach is designed to be very likely to avoid spawning biomass levels below an established limit reference point.The harvest level for the 2019-20 Strait of Georgia herring fishery was set at 10,895 metric tonnes, which was 20 per cent of the forecasted spawning biomass. This harvest level is considered precautionary, as it leaves 80 per cent of mature herring and all juvenile herring to support population and ecosystem processes such as food for salmon and marine mammals. The 2019-20 harvest level was reduced from previous years as a result of the lower biomass forecast.  This reduction in the allowable catch is consistent with the conservation goals of the management approach and provides opportunity for industry, including those First Nations that participate in the commercial fishery. The approach outlined above is detailed in the 2019-20 Pacific Herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan, which was developed following consultations with First Nations’ communities and organizations, and stakeholders such as commercial harvesters. The consultation process ensures that fishery management decisions are transparent, made with the best available science and informed by Indigenous, commercial harvester, and public considerations.The 2020 Stock Assessment information for herring in the Strait of Georgia was recently released and estimates that the spawning biomass increased in 2020 from 2019 levels and that the stock remains at a healthy level.
Fisheries and fishersHerringSalish Sea
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 24, 2020e-2342e-2342 (Fisheries)CatherineGrayGordJohnsCourtenay—AlberniNDPBCDecember 13, 2019, at 10:27 a.m. (EDT)March 12, 2020, at 10:27 a.m. (EDT)June 17, 2020September 24, 2020March 12, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Pacific herring population dropped by approximately 1/3 between 2016 and 2019, and will drop by more than 50% by 2020;The unexpected drop in the herring population has led to overfishing of existing stock;Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other independent species on the Pacific Coast; andFirst Nations have constitutionally protected rights to herring which are an important food source and an integral part of First Nations cultures.We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole ecosystem plan is developed;2. Fairly compensate fishers for economic losses; and 3. Ensure that decisions are made with the full participation of First Nations and local communities.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanThe Government of Canada is committed to effectively managing Pacific herring fisheries through evidence-based decisions, ensuring the health and sustainability of these stocks into the future. We share your view that Pacific herring is an important source of food for many species on the Pacific coast and recognize that herring is an integral part of First Nations’ culture and that First Nations have priority access to herring for food, social, and ceremonial purposes, after conservation.Pacific herring are a forage fish species and as such, have large fluctuations in abundance, so a decline in biomass is not unexpected. Biomass forecasts are highly uncertain due to factors such as environmental conditions and predation, which vary from year to year. Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) harvest management approach is designed to account for this variability. The performance of this approach has been evaluated by DFO Science and subjected to scientific peer review through a process involving consultation between First Nations, fishery managers, scientists and industry stakeholders. The approach is designed to be very likely to avoid spawning biomass levels below an established limit reference point.Since the 2019-20 stock assessment shows that herring biomass in the Strait of Georgia is well above the limit reference point, the harvest level for the 2019-20 Strait of Georgia herring fishery was set at 10,895 metric tonnes, which was 20 per cent of the forecasted spawning biomass. This harvest level is considered precautionary, as it leaves 80 per cent of mature herring and all juvenile herring to support population and ecosystem processes such as food for salmon and marine mammals. The 2019-20 harvest level was reduced from previous years as a result of the lower biomass forecast.  This reduced allowable catch is consistent with the conservation goals of the management approach and provides opportunity for industry, including those First Nations that participate in the commercial fishery.The approach outlined above is detailed in the 2019-20 Pacific Herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan, which was developed following consultations with First Nations’ communities and organizations, and stakeholders such as commercial harvesters. The consultation process ensures that fishery management decisions are transparent, made with the best available science and informed by Indigenous, commercial harvester, and public considerations.
Fisheries and fishersHerringSalish Sea
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 11, 2020431-00052431-00052 (Fisheries)GordJohnsCourtenay—AlberniNDPBCFebruary 3, 2020April 11, 2020January 24, 2020Petition to the Government of CanadaWe, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the following:
  • THAT the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Pacific herring population dropped by approximately 1/3 between 2016 and 2019, and will drop by more than 50% by 2020;
  • THAT the unexpected drop in the herring population has led to overfishing of existing stock;
  • THAT Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other independent species on the Pacific coast;
  • THAT First Nations have constitutionally protected rights to herring which are an important food source and an integral part of First Nation cultures.
THEREFORE, we the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the government of Canada to suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole ecosystem plan is developed, to fairly compensate local fishers for economic losses, and to ensure that decisions are made with the full participation of First Nations and local communities.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanThe Government of Canada is committed to effectively managing Pacific herring fisheries through evidence-based decisions, ensuring the health and sustainability of these stocks into the future. We share your view that Pacific herring is an important source of food for many species on the Pacific coast and recognize that herring is an integral part of First Nations’ culture and that First Nations have priority access to herring for food, social, and ceremonial purposes, after conservation.Pacific herring are a forage fish species, and as such have large fluctuations in biomass abundance, and so a decline in biomass is not unexpected. Additionally, biomass forecasts are highly uncertain because factors such as environmental conditions and predation vary from year to year. DFO’s harvest management approach is designed to account for this variability. The performance of the approach has been evaluated by DFO Science and subjected to scientific peer review. The approach is designed to be very likely to avoid spawning biomass levels below a limit reference point.The harvest level for the 2019-20 Strait of Georgia herring fishery is 10,895 metric tonnes (harvest rate of 20 per cent of the forecasted spawning biomass). This maximum harvest level is considered precautionary, leaving 80 per cent of mature herring and all juveniles available to support future populations and ecosystem processes, such as food for salmon and marine mammals. The reduced allowable catch is consistent with the conservation goals of the management approach and provides opportunity for industry, including those First Nations that participate in the commercial fishery.The approach outlined above was detailed in the 2019-20 Pacific herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan and released as draft from December 18, 2019 – January 17, 2020, for a 30-day consultation period with First Nations’ communities and organizations, and stakeholders such as commercial harvesters. The consultation process ensures that fishery management decisions are transparent, made with the best available science, and informed by Indigenous, commercial harvester, and public considerations.
Fisheries and fishersHerringSalish Sea
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 11, 2020431-00091431-00091 (Fisheries)GordJohnsCourtenay—AlberniNDPBCFebruary 19, 2020April 11, 2020January 7, 2020Petition to the Government of CanadaWe, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the following:
  • THAT the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Pacific herring population dropped by approximately 1/3 between 2016 and 2019, and will drop by more than 50% by 2020;
  • THAT the unexpected drop in the herring population has led to overfishing of existing stock;
  • THAT Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other independent species on the Pacific coast;
  • THAT First Nations have constitutionally protected rights to herring which are an important food source and an integral part of First Nation cultures.
THEREFORE, we the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the government of Canada to suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole ecosystem plan is developed, to fairly compensate local fishers for economic losses, and to ensure that decisions are made with the full participation of First Nations and local communities.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanThe Government of Canada is committed to effectively managing Pacific herring fisheries through evidence-based decisions, ensuring the health and sustainability of these stocks into the future. We share your view that Pacific herring is an important source of food for many species on the Pacific coast and recognize that herring is an integral part of First Nations’ culture and that First Nations have priority access to herring for food, social, and ceremonial purposes, after conservation.Pacific herring are a forage fish species, and as such have large fluctuations in biomass abundance, and so a decline in biomass is not unexpected. Additionally, biomass forecasts are highly uncertain because factors such as environmental conditions and predation vary from year to year. DFO’s harvest management approach is designed to account for this variability. The performance of the approach has been evaluated by DFO Science and subjected to scientific peer review. The approach is designed to be very likely to avoid spawning biomass levels below a limit reference point.The harvest level for the 2019-20 Strait of Georgia herring fishery is 10,895 metric tonnes (harvest rate of 20 per cent of the forecasted spawning biomass). This maximum harvest level is considered precautionary, leaving 80 per cent of mature herring and all juveniles available to support future populations and ecosystem processes, such as food for salmon and marine mammals. The reduced allowable catch is consistent with the conservation goals of the management approach and provides opportunity for industry, including those First Nations that participate in the commercial fishery.The approach outlined above was detailed in the 2019-20 Pacific herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan and released as draft from December 18, 2019 – January 17, 2020, for a 30-day consultation period with First Nations’ communities and organizations, and stakeholders such as commercial harvesters. The consultation process ensures that fishery management decisions are transparent, made with the best available science, and informed by Indigenous, commercial harvester, and public considerations.
Fisheries and fishersHerringSalish Sea
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 11, 2020431-00101431-00101 (Fisheries)GordJohnsCourtenay—AlberniNDPBCFebruary 24, 2020April 11, 2020February 4, 2020Petition to the Government of CanadaWe, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the following:
  • THAT the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Pacific herring population dropped by approximately 1/3 between 2016 and 2019, and will drop by more than 50% by 2020;
  • THAT the unexpected drop in the herring population has led to overfishing of existing stock;
  • THAT Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other independent species on the Pacific coast;
  • THAT First Nations have constitutionally protected rights to herring which are an important food source and an integral part of First Nation cultures.
THEREFORE, we the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the government of Canada to suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole ecosystem plan is developed, to fairly compensate local fishers for economic losses, and to ensure that decisions are made with the full participation of First Nations and local communities.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanThe Government of Canada is committed to effectively managing Pacific herring fisheries through evidence-based decisions, ensuring the health and sustainability of these stocks into the future. We share your view that Pacific herring is an important source of food for many species on the Pacific coast and recognize that herring is an integral part of First Nations’ culture and that First Nations have priority access to herring for food, social, and ceremonial purposes, after conservation.Pacific herring are a forage fish species, and as such have large fluctuations in biomass abundance, and so a decline in biomass is not unexpected. Additionally, biomass forecasts are highly uncertain because factors such as environmental conditions and predation vary from year to year. DFO’s harvest management approach is designed to account for this variability. The performance of the approach has been evaluated by DFO Science and subjected to scientific peer review. The approach is designed to be very likely to avoid spawning biomass levels below a limit reference point.The harvest level for the 2019-20 Strait of Georgia herring fishery is 10,895 metric tonnes (harvest rate of 20 per cent of the forecasted spawning biomass). This maximum harvest level is considered precautionary, leaving 80 per cent of mature herring and all juveniles available to support future populations and ecosystem processes, such as food for salmon and marine mammals. The reduced allowable catch is consistent with the conservation goals of the management approach and provides opportunity for industry, including those First Nations that participate in the commercial fishery.The approach outlined above was detailed in the 2019-20 Pacific herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan and released as draft from December 18, 2019 – January 17, 2020, for a 30-day consultation period with First Nations’ communities and organizations, and stakeholders such as commercial harvesters. The consultation process ensures that fishery management decisions are transparent, made with the best available science, and informed by Indigenous, commercial harvester, and public considerations.
Fisheries and fishersHerringSalish Sea
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledMarch 11, 2020431-00039431-00039 (Fisheries)GordJohnsCourtenay—AlberniNDPBCJanuary 27, 2020March 11, 2020January 7, 2020Petition to the Government of CanadaWe, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the following:
  • THAT the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Pacific herring population dropped by approximately 1/3 between 2016 and 2019, and will drop by more than 50% by 2020;
  • THAT the unexpected drop in the herring population has led to overfishing of existing stock;
  • THAT Pacific herring is the basis of the food web that supports salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other independent species on the Pacific coast;
  • THAT First Nations have constitutionally protected rights to herring which are an important food source and an integral part of First Nation cultures.
THEREFORE, we the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the government of Canada to suspend the 2020 Salish Sea herring fishery until a whole ecosystem plan is developed, to fairly compensate local fishers for economic losses, and to ensure that decisions are made with the full participation of First Nations and local communities.
Response by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast GuardSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Bernadette JordanThe Government of Canada is committed to effectively managing the Pacific herring fisheries through evidence-based decisions, ensuring the health and sustainability of these stocks into the future. We share your view that Pacific herring is an important source of food for many species on the Pacific coast and recognize that herring is an integral part of First Nations’ culture and that First Nations have priority access to herring for food, social, and ceremonial purposes, after conservation.Pacific herring are a forage fish species, and as such share the prevalent population dynamic of large fluctuations in biomass abundance, and so a decline in biomass is not unexpected. Additionally, forecasts are highly uncertain because factors such as environmental conditions and predation vary from year to year. DFO’s harvest management approach is designed to account for this variability. The performance of the approach has been evaluated by DFO Science and subjected to scientific peer review. The approach is designed to be very likely to avoid spawning biomass levels below a limit reference point.The harvest level for the 2019-20 Strait of Georgia herring fishery is 10,895 metric tonnes (harvest rate of 20 per cent of the forecasted spawning biomass). The allowable catch has been reduced by more than 50 per cent from the 2018-19 fishing season in response to the lower stock forecast for 2020. This maximum harvest level is considered precautionary, leaving 80 per cent of mature herring and all juveniles available to support future populations and ecosystem processes, such as food for salmon and marine mammals. The reduced allowable catch is consistent with the conservation goals of the management approach and provides opportunity for industry, including those First Nations that participate in the commercial fishery.The approach outlined above was detailed in the 2019-20 Pacific herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan and released as draft from December 18, 2019 – January 17, 2020, for a 30-day consultation period with First Nations’ communities and organizations, and stakeholders such as commercial harvesters. The consultation process ensures that fishery management decisions are transparent, made with the best available science, and informed by Indigenous, commercial harvester, and public considerations.
Fisheries and fishersHerringSalish Sea