7 December 1999
L. Denis Desautels, FCA
Auditor General Of Canada
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to discuss with the Committee the results of our audit of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans regarding the sustainability of the Pacific salmon fisheries. Salmon have a special place in the quality of life of residents of the West Coast, being both an indication of a healthy ecosystem as well as a source of cultural, social and economic benefits.
As salmon require both freshwater and ocean environments to complete their life cycles and, in so doing travel large distances, they are vulnerable to a wide range of impacts, including overfishing and deterioration of both freshwater and marine habitats. We were not surprised to find, therefore, that the numbers of salmon returning to spawn in British Columbia streams, rivers and lakes are declining.
The seriousness of this situation is reflected in the drop in catch, especially that of the commercial fishery. The value of this fishery has dropped in five years from $250 million to less than $50 million. Yet, the regional office currently spends approximately $85 million of its budget of $230 million on salmon, including habitat, enhancement, science and fisheries management.
As Canadian fisheries, whether Aboriginal, recreational or commercial depend on a healthy resource base, our audit has focused on the management of salmon, rather than the socio-economic consequences of declining fish stocks.
The conservation and protection of freshwater habitat was the focus of our first audit of Pacific salmon management. The results of this audit were reported in 1997. I am pleased to note, Mr. Chairman, that the Public Accounts Committee held a hearing on that chapter in February 1998. At that time, habitat was being lost in spite of the Department’s policy of no net loss - we found nothing to change that observation in our recent audit. To this, however, has been added another potentially more serious threat to salmon sustainability - a decline in the survival of salmon in the ocean. We were all given a "wake-up call" earlier in the year, when only 3 million salmon appeared out of a predicted run of 8 million in the Fraser River.
Ocean survival is, of course, outside the Department’s control as is, to a certain extent, the full protection of habitat depends on provincial regulations that consider habitat conservation when managing the use of land and water. Hence, our concern in the chapter with federal-provincial relations.
There are areas where the Department needs to improve. In the chapter, we have noted six areas requiring urgent attention - information needs, stakeholder consultations, implementation of integrated fisheries management plans, fleet downsizing and restructuring, establishment of an allocation board, and federal-provincial relations.
For example, I am concerned that the Department has reliable information on only 60 percent of the 8,000 plus salmon stocks in British Columbia. If it is to conserve salmon stocks while realizing fishing opportunities, it will require more precise information to develop and implement integrated fisheries management plans. One of the major difficulties facing the Department is the need to safeguard the genetic diversity of existing salmon stocks, and to establish acceptable catch levels (targets) and levels beyond which no fishing will occur (conservation limits) for the most important stocks. In the absence of reliable information, the application of the precautionary approach, as required under the new policy, will likely result in more frequent and extensive fishing closures to conserve weak stocks. This will likely result in subsequent hardship to Aboriginal, recreational and commercial fishers.
The Department is far from having the confidence and cooperation of stakeholders - a necessary prerequisite for the long-term sustainability of the fisheries. As noted in the chapter, the Department’s record to date in stakeholder consultations is poor.
While significant progress has been made on reducing the size of the fleet (38 percent of licenses bought back to date), the issue of fishing capacity has not been adequately addressed. The Department and the provincial government must work together on habitat and other problems if progress is to be made toward their resolution.
In our report we cite the management of coho salmon over the last 30 years as an example of a crisis in the making. Not until 1998 did the then Minister of Fisheries and Oceans acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and take action to conserve dwindling stocks by closing the fisheries.
In the fall of 1998, the Department announced A New Direction for Canada’s Pacific Salmon Fisheries. This policy identifies three objectives for salmon management - conservation, sustainable use and improved decision making - together with principles to guide the policy’s implementation. For example, there will be more emphasis on genetic diversity and the application of the precautionary approach; the use of selective fishing and the creation of a smaller and more diversified commercial fishery; and improved stakeholder consultations and input to decision making. These major changes will be affected through a series of four new operational policies based on discussion papers circulated for public review and comment. The first policy on allocation has been released, the discussion paper on selective fishing is presently undergoing public reviews and the papers on wild salmon and improved decision making are under development. In the meantime, the regional office is making progress in some areas under its new management strategy for 1998-2001.
The Department has, therefore, determined its policy destination and is planning the best route to reach it. However, the momentum achieved earlier appears to be slowing. For example, the final two operational policies have been delayed. Our concern is that the Department’s commitment as expressed in its new policy may not be followed through with the urgency that is warranted. This is an issue, Mr. Chairman, that the Committee might wish to pursue with the Department.
The Department will need the support and help of stakeholders if they are to share the burden, especially with the cost of implementing the new measures, as proposed under the new policy. The Department’s ability and timing with respect to the implementation of these measures is undoubtedly the key to future sustainability of the salmon resource and the fisheries it supports. We are concerned that the costs of policy implementation have not been determined nor priorities set for the spending of existing funds.
The Department has accepted our recommendations, and as I stated earlier, there is evidence that it is moving in the right direction. But given the magnitude of the task ahead and the new threat of declining ocean survival, the future of the salmon fisheries is at best uncertain. The need for the Department to address sustainability and biodiversity issues with respect to the many other species under its jurisdiction will add to the challenge of managing salmon fisheries in the new millennium.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, we would be pleased to answer questions on any aspect of this chapter.