e-1054 (Fishing industry)

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled

• The Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) groundfishery is the oldest industry in Canada, our greatest renewable resource and integral to Canadian history and cultural heritage;
• Pursuant to Canadian Parliament (Marine Conservation Act, Multiculturalism Act, Environment Act), marine environments are fundamental to the social, cultural and economic well-being of people living in coastal communities;
• Pursuant to the Newfoundland Act (Terms of Union), Canada (Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)) has not adequately implemented sustainable-harvesting policies for NL fisheries or manage its long-term sustainability;
• Despite 25 years of a groundfishery moratorium and the largest layoff (30,000 jobs) in Canadian history, DFO has failed to establish a rebuilding strategy, management goals and targets for rebuilding;
• DFO continues to use unsustainable management practices, ignore scientific evidence and overfishing, as more species (crab and shrimp stocks) under its control have collapsed;
• DFO are uncertain as to what meaningful action to undertake to ensure the long-term viability of NL fish stocks. This threatens the future of NL and its fisheries;
• Bob Applebaum, former DFO director general said “NAFO reforms would hamper efforts to rebuild depleted stocks and prevent others from reaching critically low levels. The result will be more, not less, foreign overfishing outside 200 miles and greater prospects of stock depletion in the future.”;
• Consequently, there has been little transparency, public accountability or investigation.