Above photo: Lonnie Snow
The Atlantic Canadian fishing industry, at least initially, has rolled out the welcome mat for the newly-minted federal Fisheries Minister.
Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray was appointed Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard on Oct. 26. First elected in 2008, she has previously served as Minister of Digital Government and as President of the Treasury Board.
“We are looking forward to connecting with the Honorable Joyce Murray, the new Minister of Fisheries and Oceans,” said Leo Muise, executive director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance.
“We recognize that her portfolio can be challenging at times. There exists a whole host of opportunities and challenges that are critical to the membership of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance as we move forward post COVID-19. We are all trying to maximize the value of the industry for everyone in the Nova Scotia seafood sector. Seafood is the number one industry in Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia is the number one seafood province in Canada. We feel there are incredible opportunities for Canadian seafood around the world and the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance will support Minister Murray in any way that we possibly can.”
The PEI Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) is also looking forward to working with the new minister.
“These are challenging times for Canadians and the various sectors of the economy including the fishing industry. We look forward to working collaboratively with the new minister in an effort to sustain the vitality of the fisheries and the coastal communities who depend on it,” said executive director Molly Aylward.
Fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador are calling on the newly appointed minister to make the protection and promotion of independent, owner-operator fish harvesters a key as she assumes her new ministerial portfolio.
“The federal Liberal government made significant progress for inshore fish harvesters by amending the Fisheries Act to enshrine key policies that ensure the wealth and benefits of the inshore fishery remain with coastal communities, not corporations,” said Keith Sullivan, FFAW-Unifor President in a media release.
“However, we need a minister to be a true champion for owner-operator harvesters and coastal communities by ensuring that these policies, together with the principle of adjacency, are applied in allocation decisions.”
The FFAW-Unifor is also reiterating the recommendations brought forward during the federal election in connection with the need for increased enforcement to protect the integrity of the owner-operator fishery and the sustainability of our coastal communities.
“To legitimately promote long-term sustainability in the fishing sector, it is essential that Owner-Operator and Fleet Separation regulations be vigorously enforced to ensure an end to illegal controlling agreements,” said Sullivan. “The federal regulations must be implemented in a way that brings consequences to the processing companies who illegally control inshore fishing licenses and continue to undermine the very purpose of these regulations.”
For the Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council (NLGIDC), which represents almost 7,000 industry participants, the issue that needs the Minister’s “immediate attention is the future allocation and management of the rapidly growing redfish resource in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,” said James Baird, chair of the NLGIDC.
Paul Lansbergen, President of the Fisheries Council of Canada said Minister Murray is joining Fisheries and Oceans Canada at an exciting time for the sector, one full of possibilities.
“The Canadian seafood industry has a plan to double the value of Canadian seafood, double the economic benefits and double the domestic consumption of fish and seafood by 2040,” said Lansbergen. “Our industry has the capacity for significant sustainable growth. We just need the right support.”
The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) said it is also looking forward to working together with Minister Murray to address the opportunities and challenges in the industry and to celebrate the successes.
“The seafood processing sector is key to many rural communities in our country, and makes a significant contribution to the national economy,” said Derek Butler, ASP executive director.
Butler says ASP member-producers employ over 5,000 people from more than 400 communities in the province. “Member-producers have invested over $150 million in the past five years to ensure economic opportunity in rural communities for years to come, in the places we call home and are committed to.”
According to the Fisheries Council of Canada, the fish and seafood industry supports Canadians through 90,000 jobs in rural, coastal and Indigenous communities, generating $9 billion in economic activity per year.
