Letters 2008
Mr. Guy Robichaud
Habitat Assessment Biologist
Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Moncton NB
July 17, 2008
• MFU’s preoccupations over possible ‘marina’ in Cap-Bimet, NB.
Mr. Robichaud,
Fishermen from the Cap-Bimet area have made public their worries in view of the proposed project by Cap Bimet Developments. The issue is really about the building of a marina in this small peninsula, which is of major importance for lobster, herring and rock crab habitat, amongst others.
Fishermen from the targetted area are strictly refusing to see a critical crustaceans marine habitat area become endangered, as it is essential to their survival and in their status as key players in the local economic area. They are also concerned about the recent proposition by M. Arsenault to install floating docks on the small peninsula.
Our members from the targetted area are not too keen on the floating docks concept and wish to give the following conditions regarding this initiative:
First, if the floating docks project goes ahead, it is crucial that it will have to be done without any destruction nor disturbance to marine life and its habitat. In more precise terms, they will not accept the moving of boulders and rocks which serve as refuge for marine life in the region.
Secondly, fishermen will not accept any digging activities on the marine floor to anchor the floating docks to its area.
The Maritime Fishermen’s Union is standing solidly behind its members on this request to DFO’s Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development - in ensuring that the next initiatives from Cap Bimet Developments and Mr. Arsenault do not cause any form of nuisance to the crucial marine species. These are essential to the local area residents, and the MFU will fight for the survival of the coastal fisheries in the South-East, knowing that Fishermen already face many other obstacles and do not need more environmental disturbances.
Thanking you in advance for the attention you will give to this regard.
Michel Richard
Organiser
Maritime Fishermen’s Union
C/c : Ernest Ferguson
Roland Cormier
___________________________________________________
April 11, 2008
Minister Rick Doucet
Minister of Fisheries for New Brunswick
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada
Mr. Doucet:
This letter aims to convey a request made by our governance body. In the light of rises in costs and stability in fishing revenues over the last few years, inshore fishermen wish to appeal for your support in eliminating costs associated with the provincial and federal fuel excise taxes (or road tax) on their fuel bills. An exemption of these costs could serve as a practical gesture to improve viability at the inshore level. It is believed, because of the many discussions around the question of viability and because of the immediacy felt by the inshore fleet in New Brunswick, that your Department could have a strong argument with other provincial counterparts for an exemption of these taxes on the fisheries sector in New Brunswick.
We would also encourage that other means to reduce costs be explored by your Department in order to alleviate the revenue crunch that our fishermen are going through by demonstrating your leadership to come up with some possible solutions to their difficulties. Recent discussions with the Minister of finance have revolved around the possibility of opening up the provincial fisheries loan program to include loans for licenses to enable for future generations to have the necessary capital for an entry in the fisheries and to prepare for the different options that could arise for rationalization. This has by all means not been sanctioned by our membership, but could become a last resort and only option supported by our Federal Fisheries counterparts. Therefore, a loan program structured to provide loans for licenses for new generation transfers and for rationalization purposes would be seen in a positive light as leadership to come up with some options for our the inshore dilemma.
An absence of any action on the viability issue related to the inshore fleet by our New Brunswick Fisheries Department - when compared with announcements made in PEI in 2007, recent announcements in Newfoundland and in Quebec - have the effect of making your government seem inactive and uninterested.
Therefore, we wish to recommend that short-term cost cutting solutions be discussed urgently with your provincial counterparts in an attempt to improve the situation of the inshore fleet of New Brunswick and that other measures mentioned in this letter be explored in the short-term with our organization.
Best regards, Christian Brun
Executive Secretary
MFU
____________________________________________________
April 11, 2008
Honourable Victor Boudreau
Minister of Finance, Province of NB
Fredericton, New-Brunswick
Canada
Dear Minister Boudreau,
For the last few monts, we have attempted to meet with our Kent area MLA and New Brunswick Premier, the Honourable Shawn Graham, without success.
Instead of requesting a meeting a fourth time in writing to his office, and as a mean of supportig our request, we are proposing an alternative meeting while the PM will be in the Shediac region this summer. This could be around any special events.
We would appreciate greatly your support in this endeavour which will enable us to bring awareness to the Premier on the coastal fishermen’s conditions in your riding and in his electoral district also. We believe that this form of a meeting will result in putting better emphasis on the fishermen difficulties that have been common place for too long, and particularly for the South-Eastern NB coastal fishermen.
In the hopes of confirming this potential next meeting, best regards.
Christian Brun
MFU Executive Director
___________________________________________________
• MFU’s Comment: Aquaculture Legislation in NB and coastal fishermen consultations
January 22, 2008
Lori O’Brien
Aquaculture Registrar
Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture
P.O Box 6000
Fredericton, NB
E3B 5H1
Mrs. O’Brien,
In response to your missive of January 8 in which you made reference to a legislative revision of the Aquaculture Legislation and its general regulations, the Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU), as the Union representing more than 1200 coastal fishermen from NB, wishes to make the following comments:
• The MFU is recommanding that any site allocation process or lease for aquaculture activities that would be near, adjacent or found in the Eastern inshore waters of New Brunswick must procede with a consultation with coastal fishermen (by means of the MFU);
• Any changes to the Law or Regulations that would have as a result a reduction in communication with the public or the fishing industry as related to demands or site allocations or leases, would not be seen favourably by the MFU and could result in certains actions undertaken by coastal fishermen on the long run. We would like to take this opportunity to ask the department to indicate to us which steps are actually being taken to consult with coastal fishermen in this Aquaculture Lot Allocation Process and Aquaculture Leases, and how this approach would change in the event of legislative changes to the Law and Regulations.
We are proposing these comments with the goal of maintaining the good relationship between the traditional fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
Sincerely,
Christian Brun
MFU Executive Director
___________________________________________________
Letters 2007
October 10th, 2007
The Honorable Loyola Hearn
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Ottawa, ON
RE : Usage of snow crab allocation by the Maritime Fishermne’s Union (MFU) from the 2005 snow crab plan onwards
Minister Hearn,
This letter aims to explain the background, justification and detailed usage by the MFU of the permanent snow crab quota allocated for the inshore fishers of New Brunswick from the time rationalization was deemed a prerequisite in the 2005 snow crab plan. The MFU represents 1600 multi-species fish harvesters in the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, 1200 of these from the former province.
As a means to distribute the benefits of the snow crab quota allocated for the inshore fishers of New Brunswick, the MFU began implementing its Inshore Transition and Development Plan (or the MFU Transition Plan) in 2005 with the following main goal: the improvement of the viability and sustainability of the lobster and groundfish industries. The MFU Transition Plan is based on the delivery of compounding activities from year to year to have a combining long term effect. The MFU plan is based on a system of communities of interests which entails that it is grassroots driven, democratically decided, collective in scope to trickle benefits down to the largest possible group and is intended to have a gradual but consistent impact on coastal communities and their populations. To achieve all of this, communities of interests serve as a tool to achieve the following:
• Temporary retirement of licenses by having lobster fishers that are chosen to harvest snow crab give up their lobster tags for a given season. Compounded in a long-term scope equates to the impact of permanent retirement but on a much larger scale;
• Gradual permanent retirements of whole enterprises (with at least lobster license included);
• Reduction of fishing effort though other means, improved conservation measures, resource enhancement and fishery related research and development;
• Training of community leaders (not funded with snow crab funds);
• Diversification of community economies with various fishery related projects (not funded with snow crab funds).
As a result of the MFU Transition Plan, the following results were accomplished since 2005:
• Temporary license retirements in the order of 30-40 lobster and groundfish fishermen remitted their tags annually since 2005 (43 in 2005, 32 in 2006 and 33 in 2007) in order for them to fish snow crab which constitutes an important immediate effort reduction, and will equate to a permanent long term retirement of these lobster activities for as long as the MFU receives a snow crab allocation;
• 13 whole fishing enterprises (all fishing licenses linked to the enterprise) were retired permanently;
• 250,000 lobster larvae were seeded by communities of interests into their local waters in partnership with the Homarus project;
• Communities of interest leadership decided on the detailed implementation of the snow crab plan and on how to spend their funds;
• Training for community leadership has been consistent since 2005 and observed improvements in skills and fisher participation are considerable;
• Ideas for community development are being pursued by some Communities of interests in the areas of a lobster hatchery and high seas scallop aquaculture entrepreneurial projects for small groups of fishermen.
For more financial details, please refer to tables and charts at Schedule A for a better appreciation of usage of snow crab revenues by the MFU from 2005 onwards (for MFU Transition plan activities). Also, see Schedule B for usage by the MFU of all snow crab revenues allocated to the inshore of New Brunswick from 1995-2006.
Further, it is our view that the snow crab quota is a crucially important tool to enable the long-term stability of the East Coast New Brunswick lobster industry. It is also equally important to note that the snow crab allocation is viewed as a long term tool with some limits in that it can only serve as a long term solution to slight shortcomings of the fishery, but not for major disruptions such as the viability crisis felt by lobster fishermen on the East Coast of New Brunswick since 2002-2003. Fishermen in these areas are generating net income before taxes of well under $10,000 per year. It is in this respect that we feel the self rationalization approach proposed by your Department is inappropriate specifically for already problematic fisheries such as in East Coast New Brunswick and in other Northumberland Strait areas such as LFA 26A. As a complementary solution, we are currently developing options consistent with the present situation of the pertinent areas and will communicate our recommendations shortly through the Northumberland Strait Steering Committee process.
It is our view that your government will have a unique opportunity in history this fall to be proactive in order to avoid a lobster fishery crisis in Atlantic Canada and honour your Department’s responsibility towards the Canadian public, and thereby, foster a change in public perception of your Department’s potential following the controversial late reactions to the cod collapse. This opportunity relates to the lobster industry and will require an investment partnership with industry 1- to reduce the number of fishers in our region so the fishery would become attractive, 2- to create an environment whereas remaining fishers will be more apt to integrate new market requirements to more effectively compete internationally, 3- to incite new young fish harvesters to enter the industry, and finally, to aim for the sustainability of the lobster resource.
It is imperative to understand that a decision by your Department that would allocate a snow crab quota destined to the New Brunswick inshore fishery in the hands of a few individuals, instead of maintaining the current mechanism, would have the immediate impact of destroying a great momentum set by Communities of interests based on a collective approach and hinder the potential growth of this new structure only now beginning to show long term results.
On another not so distant subject, we wish to convey our congratulations for the courage you have demonstrated in the recent months with the reinforcement of your Department’s owner- operator and fleet separation policies. We are encouraged to see the leadership you are taking to defend the small owner-operator fish harvester enterprises in Canada and we have no doubt you will succeed with persistence in warding off recent attacks by a small group in Eastern Canada. MFU support for a strong non-flexible owner-operator policy is being communicated in all pertinent forums.
Finally, it is our desire to meet with you briefly in person in Ottawa in the course of the third week of October (week of the 22nd) or to discuss priority issues and offer answers to any questions you might have. We have included a suggested agenda at Schedule C for your appreciation.
Our sincerest regards,
Andre Martin
MFU President
Christian Brun
MFU Executive Secretary
__________________________________________________
October 5th, 2007
The Honorable Loyola Hearn
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Ottawa, ON
RE: OPEN LETTER TO MINISTER OF FISHERIES LOYOLA HEARN RELATED TO MID-WATER TRAWLERS IN 2007 HERRING FISHERY
Minister Hearn,
This letter aims to convey our sincere frustration related to your recent unilateral decision to permit for mid-water trawlers to harvest herring at a 12 mile limit in the Gulf of St-Lawrence.
It was to our utmost surprise to be informed this week by DFO representatives in Moncton of your intention to permit such changes without any prior consultations with the inshore fishery. Firstly, these changes will, in the view of coastal fishermen, open some vivid wounds relatively well sealed now for several decades. Therefore, we recommend for you to consider the historical accounts and the magnitude of conflict on this issue in the Gulf waters in Atlantic Canada before you pursue with the potentially hazardous implementation of this decision.
On another equally important note, we wish to underline the disastrous impact such mid-water trawlers would have on our delicate herring resource: these types of mid-water trawler fishing gears wipe out all marine species in their path. Please consult with your own biologists that have conveyed similar opinions on this subject in past meetings.
Moreover, the inshore fishers of the Gulf of St. Lawrence were not even able to harvest the totality of their fall quotas in 2007, without mentioning the literal disappearance of the spring herring species. This should be of great concern for your Department and this recent decision simply worsens the situation at hand.
Finally, we wish to implore you to immediately reconsider this most undermining decision before the damage is done.
Our sincerest regards,
Andre Martin
MFU President
__________________________________________________
June 14th 2007
Open Letter to Loyola Hearn Canadian Minister of Fisheries
This letter has been produced to illustrate the Maritime Fishermen’s Union’s total disagreement with the Bluefin Tuna Management Plan which was released on the June the 7th.
Mr. Hearn,
On behalf of the MFU New Brunswick tuna fleet, I question the reasoning behind your Department’s decision in regards to the New Brunswick based First Nations’ integration in the bluefin tuna industry. Your Department’s initiative to “provide” First Nations with quota off the top of the inshore quota is done by completely ignoring the impact of the activation of inactive tuna licenses, while adding to the ever-increasing effort of Natives in the tuna fishery.
We strongly feel that your creation of the First Nations’ tuna fishing history on the back of the established MFU tuna fleet’s fishery will only create unwanted tensions between MFU members and New Brunswick First Nations. We believe that Canadians have a right to know that this new management plan greatly reduces the New Brunswick tuna share and squarely adds the pressure of the emerging First Nations’ fleet (30+ licenses) on this greatly insufficient portion of the resource.
The other object of our great frustration is the Department of Fisheries permitting of fleet to fleet Bluefin transfers, which goes against the wishes of 80% of the entire Canadian tuna fleet. The Gulf-based tuna fleets had made it very clear to the DFO on several occasions and one more time at the last Large Pelagics committee meeting that we would never accept that the Minister allow the St-Margaret’s Bay and Newfoundland tuna fleets to receive such political gifts as 24.11% of the overall quota, which they can sell to the highest bidder. This goes against the MFU’s efforts to ensure the viability and sustainability of fishing communities. It is very well known that these 2 fleets have not been able to catch their allotted quotas in years past. However, the DFO insists on taking allocations from fleets which have proven their efficiency to fulfill a political agenda.
We strongly recommend Minister, that your Department go back to the proverbial drawing board and consider a distribution destined to fulfill the needs of fleets who can catch the fish and strive towards sustainability, rather than letting some fleets profit from royalty fisheries which have no place in the modern backdrop of the fisheries. If you are indeed a defender of the owner-operator policy, we believe you should not be at cross-purposes between the ideal of stability of the fleets and royalty fishery scenarios.
We believe that in order to be fair and transparent, you must take it upon yourself to balance the scale between the needs of the many and the greed of the few.
Michel Richard
Maritime Fishermen’s Union Tuna Fleet Coordinator
__________________________________________________
March 21, 2007
Jim Jones
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Moncton, NB
Canada
Subject : Marshall Buyback Program
Mr. Jones,
The Maritime Fishermen Union (MFU) wishes to inform you of the following resolution adopted during the 2007 annual general meeting of the MFU relating to the Marshall Buyback Program and reiterate our interest for required measures be implemented to relect the opinion of coastal fishermen.
See following resolution:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2007-17/L2 Marshall License Buy-Back Program – Wharf of Origin
Whereas DFO developed a license buy-back program to answer the requirements of the Marshall Decision;
Whereas fishermen asked that this program not destabilize the existing fishing effort on the fishing territories where the licenses were added;
Whereas any future program should follow the same logic;
Be it resolved that every fishing license, bought through a license buy-back program related to Marshall or any future buy-back program related to the Native fishery, be fished and attached to its wharf of origin.
_____________________________________________
March 14, 2007
Rhéal Vienneau
Director
Resource Management
Moncton, NB
RE: Proposal by the traditional snow crab fleet
Dear Mr. Vienneau,
The Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) wishes to comment on the traditional snow crab fleet proposal received on March 9, 2007.
While our organization remains open to dialogue that would aim for the betterment of the situation of the various current snow crab fleets as a whole, we fervently oppose any attempts to improve the situation of one specific fleet to the detriment of others, such as is perceived to be the case with the proposal sent to us. The MFU is therefore not interested in pursuing any negotiations to the regards of a limited distribution of the snow crab allocation for “new access” snow crab fleets.
It is our contention that a permanent snow crab quota was announced in 2003-04 by the then Minister of Fisheries for the inshore fishery of New Brunswick in the form of a new access. Moreover, it is our perspective that the inshore of New Brunswick have traditionally been active in the zone 12 waters for which has therefore justified a claim for a permanent snow crab quota. On another note, the snow crab fleet proposal would have the obvious effect of excluding the East New Brunswick inshore fleet from any snow crab fishery benefits for the next few years. If this case was to aspire, New Brunswick inshore would be the only inshore fleet in the Atlantic Provinces to not benefit from a snow crab permanent allocation.
For these reasons and others, it is unthinkable for our organization to take a trip back in time and regress to former inefficient means in response to future challenges.
Regards,
Andre Martin
MFU President
Christian Brun
Executive Secretary of the
Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU)
C.C..
Minister Loyola Hearn
Minister Greg Thompson
Minister Peter McKay
Ed Frenette
Kay Wallis
Onil Cloutier
Ron Heighton
Alyre Gauvin
|
