QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Elver Fishery
June 4, 2024
Minister, my question is about digital transformation and innovation in the seafood industry. Innovative Canadian companies have developed digital solutions based on global standards that deliver robust traceability in seafood supply chains. These innovations are key to addressing the priorities of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, including stopping illicit activities in the elver fishery.
I would argue that, yet again, DFO’s unwillingness to implement innovative solutions has caused the elver fishery to be closed this season, harming licensed fishers and rural communities.
Minister Lebouthillier, why isn’t your department adopting best practices and modern technologies to better manage the elver fishery, as is done in the State of Maine? What specific plans does DFO have to harness Canadian expertise in order to create a safer, modernized and better regulated elver fishery?
We take no pleasure in making the decision to impose or extend a moratorium, because I’m very aware of the impact that has on communities.
I went to Portland, Maine. I met with people to find out how we can protect the elver, set out clear rules and provide traceability. We’ve seen it with the operations that have been carried out this year. Again this week, approximately $300,000 worth of elvers were seized at the Toronto airport. Two weeks ago, $500,000 worth of elvers were seized. We see the important work that is being done to protect the resource and ensure traceability. I intend to ensure that we can reopen the elver fishery in 2025. The other goal is to ensure that elvers can’t just be sold off the back of a truck and that we establish facilities where we can properly monitor the elver harvest. That is one of the solutions that Portland has put in place.
Minister, I’m sorry, but that didn’t provide me with much assurance that things will be better next year. Just this January, DFO put forward a request for information for an elver traceability system to track the harvesting, possession and movement of elvers across the Canadian supply chain. DFO committed to moving forward in March, but has gone silent since then.
Procurement is an essential tool. The experience in Maine has proven to be highly successful. When will this fishery open again?
I can tell you that the fishery will be open in 2025. We’re working with Treasury Board to ensure that the new regulations and the necessary traceability measures will be in place.
