Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, recently held a virtual press conference in an attempt to clear up some information surrounding the upcoming Unit 1 redfish fishery.
The announcement of the fishery’s opening came on the heels of a decline in the Gulf shrimp fishery, which the minister hoped to remedy by allocating 10 per cent of the total allowable catch (TAC) for the new fishery to shrimp harvesters and Indigenous harvesters. The yet-to-be-determined TAC will be split amongst the Atlantic provinces and Québec, with Nova Scotia receiving the largest share at 33 per cent. Following Nova Scotia, Québec is set to receive 31 per cent, Newfoundland and Labrador 19 per cent, New Brunswick 11 per cent and P.E.I. five per cent.
Lebouthillier stated that the provincial allocations are in line with historical allocations from 1993, which she said was unanimously called for by all provincial fisheries ministers.
“First of all, it’s important to understand that, in every single meeting I’ve had with fisheries ministers from Québec and Atlantic provinces, everyone was unanimous, everyone called for the 1993 shares to be respected, and that’s exactly what the decision I’ve made has sought to reflect as closely as possible,” said Lebouthillier.
“According to DFO’s latest estimates, Nova Scotia remains in the lead in terms of shares, as has historically been the case. As for Québec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, their shares have not only been respected but even increased.”
Tensions have also flared around distribution between the near, mid and offshore fleets, with the offshore fishing fleets receiving the lion’s share of the redfish TAC at 58.96 per cent. The inshore fleet is positioned to receive 14.84 per cent of allocations and the mid-shore will receive 5.72 per cent.
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) has come out in support of its inshore fishery members, where it claimed the 14.84 per cent share is a far cry from the 50 per cent allocation needed to “ensure financial solvency and economic sustainability for the region.”
“The Federal Liberal Government has given away nearly 60 per cent of the Canadian redfish quota to the corporate trawler fleet rather than allocating it to owner-operator harvesters based in coastal communities. These small-scale fish harvesters and their communities rely on access to the marine resources off their doorsteps,” said FFAW President Greg Pretty.
“The Minister has very clearly failed in her responsibility under the federal Fisheries Act by not prioritizing social, economic and cultural factors as well as the preservation and promotion of the independence of independent license holders,”
Lebouthillier has called these allegations of favouritism to the offshore sector as “simply false.”
“In terms of fleet distribution, it’s important to understand that the historic shares of vessels over 100 feet, “offshores” as they are known, has shrunk from 74 per cent in 1994 to 59 per cent in 2024, to the benefit of smaller fleets, shrimpers and Indigenous communities,” said Lebouthillier.
“In short, the decision announced last week offers even more opportunities to the smallest players, whose leverage has increased considerably since the 1993 moratorium.”
In an earlier speech on the topic, the minister set a minimum TAC of 25,000 tonnes for redfish, which raised concerns amongst harvesters who were worried their allocations would not be enough to create enough income to support their enterprises. The minister assured that the 25,000 tonne TAC was a “floor” that would likely increase in the months preceding the fishery.
“I want to be crystal clear, the total allowable catch for redfish for this year, the TAC, has not been decided, and will not be decided until the Redfish Advisory Committee has been properly consulted and submitted its recommendations to me. The sole purpose of the 25,000-tonne floor was to provide predictability and ensure a minimum for the various stakeholders, who will ultimately have their say,” said Lebouthillier.
“And in the case of shrimpers, it’s important to understand that 10 per cent of 25,000 tonnes is not the same as 10 per cent of 50,000 tonnes or 10 per cent of 75,000 tonnes. That’s why I’d like to urge everyone to be extremely cautious and avoid quick mathematical shortcuts.”
Given that many shrimp harvesters do not have enough quota in 2024 to pursue the fishing season, questions have been raised about the prospect of a license buyback program for those affected by the downturn in the fishery. The minister, however, was hesitant to back any sort of buyback program during the conference.
“I can tell you that license buybacks won’t solve everything. Some fishermen want to keep their license. The other thing is that I don’t want us to lose our expertise, which is what was lost at the time with the cod moratorium, and I think we should be pleased to have announced the reopening of a commercial redfish fishery,” said Lebouthillier.
“It’s economic development for our regions, and it’s economic diversification, and I intend to continue working in this direction for all rural communities in Eastern Canada.”
