Questions and responses 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' decision to close commercial fishing for mackerel in Atlantic Canada: (a) what was the amount of mackerel in the region before the moratorium; (b) what is the amount of mackerel in the region now; (c) when was the last time the amount of mackerel in the region was considered at strong enough levels in order to not have a moratorium; (d) what threshold would make the mackerel stock eligible to have the moratorium lifted with regard to the (i) size of the mackerel, (ii) size of the biomass; (e) when was the most recent biomass assessment of the mackerel data and what departments and personnel were involved in collecting the data; (f) what specific scientific models or methodologies were used in the biomass and stock assessments; (g) who was involved in the decision-making process for the moratorium, including (i) government departments, (ii) government officials, (iii) third-party advisory bodies, (iv) provincial government officials, (v) provincial government departments, (vi) industry professionals; (h) what indicators or benchmarks are used to evaluate recovery progress during the moratorium; (i) are local and regional perspectives being considered in the monitoring of stock health; (j) how does Canada's mackerel stock assessment align with, or differ from, those conducted by other jurisdictions facing similar issues; (k) is Canada working with any of the other jurisdictions for joint action on mackerel stocks, and, if so, what are the details; (l) what economic impact assessments were conducted prior to the moratorium's implementation; and (m) what is the government's assessment of how the moratorium is affecting trade of Canada's mackerel stock?

With regard to Fisheries and Oceans Canada's management of fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador: (a) broken down by year, since January 1, 2016, what scientific stock assessments have been completed on (i) northern cod, (ii) snow crab, (iii) capelin, and what were the key findings of each assessment; (b) what is the current federal rebuilding plan for northern cod, including any projected timelines for stock recovery; (c) for each of the last five years, what are the details, including the date, type, topic, and consultee, for each consultation conducted with (i) inshore harvesters, (ii) Indigenous groups, (iii) industry stakeholders, (iv) other groups, in Newfoundland and Labrador and what were the outcomes of those consultations; and (d) what federal funding has been allocated, since January 1, 2016, to support (i) stock rebuilding efforts, (ii) harvester livelihoods during quota reductions in Newfoundland and Labrador, broken down by year and by program?

With regard to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s management of Lobster Fishing Area 34: (a) what are the specific rules and regulations, including quotas, for First Nations lobster fishers in Area 34, for food, social, and ceremonial fishing, broken down by First Nation permitted to harvest lobster in Lobster Fishing Area 34, for the (i) 2024-25 fishing season, (ii) 2025-26 fishing season; and (b) how many violations or alleged violations of the rules and regulations in (a) is Fisheries and Oceans Canada aware of, and what are the details of each, including the (i) location, (ii) incident summary, including which rules or regulations were violated, (iii) date, (iv) penalties or enforcement action taken?

With regard to Canadian fish stock assessments and stock advisory committees on commercial species, broken down by specific species: (a) what organizations, stakeholders, First Nations and environmental non-governmental organizations have observer status; (b) what organizations, stakeholders, First Nations and environmental non-governmental organizations have stakeholder status; (c) what is total length of time between when scientific and harvester data is received and when a quota decision is made; (d) what changes in science methodology have been made since 2015; (e) what changes in methodology to incorporate fish harvester logbook data into assessments, outlined by species, have been made since 2015; and (f) what are the net changes in the number of stakeholder seats and environmental non-governmental organizations seats at stock advisory, broken down by species and year since 2015?

With regard to the recreational groundfish fishing seasons in the Lower St. Lawrence, in Gaspésie: (a) why, in recent years, has recreational groundfish fishing not been continuous in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization area 4ST, but instead intermittent with a spring opening followed by a fishing prohibition lasting several weeks that varies by sub-area, but generally falling in July and early August; (b) what criteria does the Department of Fisheries and Oceans use to determine the recreational groundfish fishing season in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization area 4ST; (c) does the status of groundfish stocks determine recreational fishing seasons, and, if so, what scientific evidence supports this determination; (d) is the availability of fishery officers to ensure enforcement considered when determining recreational fishing dates, and, if so, what has been the impact on recent decisions; and (e) are school holiday and summer vacation periods considered when determining recreational fishing dates, and, if so, what has been the impact on recent decisions?