The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Honourable Greg Deighan, Prince Edward Island Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, today signed the Canada-Prince Edward Island Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Fish Habitat Management. The Honourable Chester Gillan, Prince Edward Island Minister of Environment also signed the MOU earlier in the week.
The MOU sets out the ways in which the two levels of government will work together to protect fish habitat in Prince Edward Island. It applies to all fish habitats in the province and will help to sustain the province's fisheries resources. It is the first federal-provincial fish habitat management agreement since the Canada-BC agreement was signed in 2000.
"This MOU is consistent with the priorities of the federal government to establish co-operative working arrangements with the provinces and territories," said Minister Thibault. "Partnering results in better management to protect fish habitat and ensure sustainable fishery resources."
"Prince Edward Island's fishery resources are an integral part of the economy and way of life in the province, and protecting and enhancing fish habitat is critical to the long-term sustainability of these resources," added Minister Deighan. "This agreement speaks to the commitment of the provincial and federal governments to work cooperatively to improve fish habitat management."
"Numerous community groups throughout Prince Edward Island work in cooperation with the Province to protect and restore fish habitat," said Minister Gillan. "I am pleased that this MOU will complement those efforts."
The two governments will establish a Canada/Prince Edward Island Fish Habitat Management Committee to fulfil the specific purposes of the MOU. The committee's priorities in the coming year are to:
– co-ordinate work activities for the comprehensive and effective protection of fish habitat and timely, efficient decision-making;
– develop protocols for carrying out key functions involving regulatory reviews, integrated resource planning, community outreach and stewardship, research and habitat restoration and enhancement; and
– find ways to involve all orders of government, First Nations, industry, and other non-government organizations and stakeholders in advancing the objectives of the agreement.
The committee will report annually on implementation of the MOU and make recommendations for continued progress. Additional working groups or standing subcommittees will be established to carry out specific assignments and joint projects as required to advance the objectives of the MOU.
The Canada-Prince Edward Island MOU is consistent with commitments made in 1999 by the Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers to enter into bilateral agreements and protocols for fish habitat protection under the Agreement on Interjurisdictional Cooperation with Respect to Fisheries and Aquaculture. It acknowledges that fish habitat conservation, restoration and enhancement in Prince Edward Island will be managed according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Policy for the Management of Fish Habitat (1986). The Government of Canada is currently in discussion with other provinces and hopes to finalize additional agreements in the coming weeks and months.
The Canada-Prince Edward Island Memorandum of Understanding on Fish Habitat Management is available on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Web site at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/habitat/publications_e.asp, and on the Prince Edward Island Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Web site at: www.gov.pe.ca/fae.