The Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association is pleased to present on this topic of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
We thank the committee chair and the fisheries committee for today's opportunity.
I would like to outline the views of our association, in addition to potential remedies to this serious topic.
The PEIFA has for many years advocated for stronger penalties for any person charged and convicted of crimes that exploit or harm our valuable seafood resources. This also includes providing Department of Fisheries and Oceans officers with victim impact statements that detail the consequences to a fishery that is harmed by illegal activity.
One item that we all must keep in mind is that certain species, such as herring and rock crab, form the critical foundation of our fisheries in eastern Canada. The collapse of these fisheries would essentially lead to a collapse of many other fisheries that rely on these stocks for survival and their important place in the ecosystem. Any illegal activity around these two fisheries should be treated with heightened severity.
The majority of harvesters want a consistent, level playing field so that they can earn their living in a fair and equitable manner.
In addition to increasing fines—for example, to 20% of a vessel's revenue—there should be more stringent consequences for repeat offenders. This should include a decrease in fishing days in the current or future seasons. Available hardware such as on-board cameras could assist in stopping repeat offenders.
It is critical that all harvesters—indigenous and commercial harvesters—regardless of the fishery or type of fishery, be treated in the same way in terms of consequences for resource infractions. All harvesters and communities suffer if illegal activity is not dealt with in a consistent manner and if the same consequences are not applied to all.
In the spring of 2024, the PEIFA will be launching an electronic log application that will record catches and other interactions in real time. This will be a second harvester-based app available in the marketplace, an option that has been designed by harvesters for harvesters.
E-logs will replace the current system, which is fully manual, on paper and manually submitted, and in which it takes approximately six months for the data to be compiled and distributed to industry.
Industry and DFO cannot make informed decisions on our ocean resources if the most current information is not available when those decisions are being made. The e-log option has been discussed since 2014, but is being used in very few fisheries. There is no clear path for widespread implementation, which puts the investment by groups such as the PEIFA in a position of uncertainty. The time for a detailed implementation path is now, and all harvester groups need to be participants once a fishery is activated for e-logs.
Another area of concern is a lack of people resources that dockside monitoring companies can access. The current hiring guidelines do not allow for fishers that hold a license, even if the licenses are not fished, or crew members. In addition, there is a minimum grade 12 educational requirement. This approach seems contrary and outdated in terms of the current climate of labour shortages.
Again, we must ensure that the playing field is kept level and that our ocean resources are not exploited.
The suite of solutions we have offered in this document have been primarily on the harvester side. However, the PEIFA is also advocating that the fines for buyers and/or plants that process illegal lobster be significantly increased.
We recently sent a letter to the Province of Prince Edward Island, suggesting an increased fine for conviction of up to $2 million. We are also seeking that convicted individuals be prevented from holding future licenses or buying or processing licenses.
Although these changes would come under provincial jurisdiction, it takes a multipronged approach by federal and provincial levels of government to keep our ocean resources protected and to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
I would like to thank the standing committee for the opportunity to present today and would be pleased to answer any questions at the appropriate time.
Thank you.