The dispute over the lobster boundary line off North Cape, herring seiners fishing close to shore in the eastern end of the province, and the impact of invasive species on the aquaculture industry were among the key issues Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Greg Deighan raised during a one-on-one meeting with his federal counterpart Monday.
Minister Deighan met with federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Robert Thibault Monday morning, prior to a meeting of the Atlantic Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (ACFAM) in Hull, Quebec.
Minister Deighan took the opportunity to impress upon the federal minister the need to resolve some longstanding concerns of Prince Edward Island fishers well in advance of the next fishing season. On the issue of the boundary line between lobster fishing areas 22 and 24 off North Cape, industry representatives in Prince Edward Island have had no success in even arranging a meeting with the Magdalen Island fishers.
"While the federal minister indicated that he would like to see the industry get together and try to reach a solution, I stressed that if that does not happen in the immediate future, he must personally intervene to get this matter settled," said Minister Deighan.
The area in dispute, known as MacLeod's Ledge, is considered a Quebec fishing area even though it is less than 10 kilometres from the Prince Edward Island shoreline and more than 140 kilometres from the Magdalen Islands. Generations of Island fishers have fished in the area without incident until the 2002 spring lobster season when 28 fishers received illegal fishing warnings.
On the issue of the herring seiners, Minister Deighan asked the federal minister to take steps to reach a long-term solution that will protect the livelihood of the inshore fishers. Concerned that the large fishing vessels are damaging lobster habitat and jeopardizing local herring stocks, they have asked the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to move the boundary of the exclusion zone farther offshore.
"Island fishers reluctantly accepted a temporary solution this fall so that the fishery could proceed without disruption, but they did so with the understanding that DFO would put in place a long-term plan that would thoroughly address their legitimate concerns. Once again, fishers are still waiting for progress on this issue," said Minister Deighan.
Turning to concerns of the aquaculture industry, Minister Deighan asked his federal counterpart to invest more resources to help manage the problem of invasive species. In particular, the Island mussel industry is facing large expenditures in dealing with clubbed tunicate and oyster growers have a new concern with the discovery of MSX in Cape Breton.
"Officials in my department have been working closely with industry on treatment options to manage clubbed tunicate, and more recently, they have been working cooperatively with DFO on the oyster sampling program for MSX," said Minister Deighan. "Our government has committed additional efforts and resources to address the issue of invasive species and I have asked the federal minister to do the same. We want to build stronger partnerships between industry, the Province and DFO to help the aquaculture industry meet these new challenges."
Other points Minister Deighan raised with the federal minister at their private meeting or as part of discussion at the federal/provincial ministers meeting included the need for Prince Edward Island to gain meaningful long-term access to shrimp and crab resources; the importance of input of PEI fishers in the new multi-year lobster management plan; and concerns over the cost of entry to the fishery.
The meeting Monday was the first opportunity for federal, provincial and territorial fisheries ministers to review the draft policy framework for the Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review which will serve as the foundation for the long-term sustainable management of the Atlantic fisheries. Further consultations on the policy will take place in the new year.
Another important topic at the meeting was the future of the cod fishery. While Prince Edward Island is not as dependant on this fishery as some other jurisdictions, Minister Deighan said there are a number of PEI fishers who depend on cod for their livelihood and the fishery provides supplementary income for many other fishers. "While the federal government has said that more scientific data on the cod stocks is needed before a decision is made about the 2003 fishery, the provincial ministers stressed the need for immediate consultations with the industry to allow their input," said Minister Deighan. "The other point is that if there is to be a closure of the fishery, the federal government must have a plan in place for those fishers affected."
Minister Deighan said it was a productive meeting with Minister Thibault. "While we do not see immediate results from these meetings, they can lead to significant progress on issues. So I look forward to continuing to work with Minister Thibault in the coming weeks to address some of the concerns of Island fishers."