Capelin meeting cancelled after environmental groups’ status raised
Oceana Canada says it was taken aback when harvester and processor representatives walked out of a capelin advisory meeting in Gander on Friday, March 22.
The disgruntled members of the advisory committee for 2J3KPLS capelin left after being informed that Oceana Canada and another environmental non-governmental organization, Oceans North, would have their status changed from observer to stakeholder at the meeting.
The area known as Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Area 2J3KPLS extends from southern Labrador to along the north, eastern and southern coasts of Newfoundland.
'NO PLACE FOR THESE TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS'
A news release issued by Ffaw-unifor, the union that represents the province’s fish harvesters and plant workers, said harvester and processor representatives took exception to “giving the extremist organizations who actively work to shut down the commercial fishery an active seat at the table.”
The release stated, “Qalipu First Nation, harvesters, and processors, who all hold true stakeholder status in the advisory processes, agreed that there is no place for these types of organizations at the table.”
The representatives walked out in protest of the decision by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the meeting was subsequently cancelled without any scientific information presented.
On March 13, DFO announced that the 2J3KL capelin stock had been lifted out of the critical zone.
THE REACTION
Jack Daly, a marine scientist with Oceana Canada, was at the meeting and said he doesn’t understand what the big deal was.
He noted Oceana Canada and other environmental non-governmental groups are full members of other advisory committees across the country and it’s common to have such representation on the committees.
“It’s actually odd when you don’t have a committee with an environmental non-governmental group or any other group besides the harvesting and processing sectors,” Daly said as he waited for a flight at Gander International Airport later in the day.
He explained that the difference in status means that rather than providing written submissions and sitting in the back to wait until the end of the meetings to be allowed to ask questions, the groups could be more active participants throughout the presentations given to the committee.
'QUITE NORMAL'
“This is not some shady kind of action,” said Daly. “This is quite normal. … It’s really mind-boggling as to why this caused so much consternation today when I’m in meetings with these groups all the time.”
Daly took exception to being called an "extremist organization" by the FFAW, which he noted attended Oceana Canada’s symposium on rebuilding abundance in Ottawa two years ago. Former FFAW president Keith Sullivan even spoke at that event, he added.
“We tend to have good working relationships with these groups because we do have shared goals of rebuilding fisheries, but when you get to certain fisheries where things are a bit more contentious, unfortunately, these things happen,” said Daly.
‘NOT A RADICAL POSITION’
It is true, said Daly, that Oceana Canada does not support a commercial fishery in 2J3KPLS at this time.
He said the stocks in this zone have been depleted too far and Oceana Canada is calling for a short-term closure until DFO can show how the stock can be rebuilt.
“That’s not a radical position,” said Daly, whose organization has been publicly calling for this closure for the last couple of years, including doing so on its website and telling anyone who asks them about it.
Oceana Canada is not hellbent on closing all commercial fisheries, Daly said. The organization is, for example, calling for a 9,000-tonne capelin quota in the Gulf of St. Lawrence area because that stock seems to be doing better.
“The goal isn’t to shut down fisheries for fisheries’ sake,” he said. “It’s to rebuild them, so they are actually sustainable and profitable.”
‘NOT SURE ABOUT NEXT STEPS’
After the other representatives walked out Friday, Daly said the DFO officials there went to talk to them. When DFO refused to ask the invited environmental non-governmental group representatives to leave the meeting, he said, Oceana Canada and Oceans North were asked if they would voluntarily leave so the meeting could proceed.
Daly said they refused to give up their places at the meeting, after which the other representatives all left, forcing DFO to cancel the meeting.
“I’m not sure about next steps,” said Daly. “DFO has to make decisions on these stocks soon. Other stocks are opening up this week (coming). If anything, all this does is throw into question what the management regime will be for this stock and other stocks. It’s really unfortunate.”
'UNWARRANTED AND INFLAMMATORY'
Saltwire requested interviews with the other groups that had representation at the meeting, including DFO.
In an email, the federal fisheries department said the advisory committee meetings are intended to seek diverse views on conservation and the sustainable use of fishery resources and routinely include the perspectives of harvesters, processors, Indigenous partners, the provincial government and environmental organizations.
"Requests to participate in advisory committee meetings are reviewed on a case-by-case basis," stated the prepared response from DFO. "Our goal is to promote transparency and ensure broad interests are represented while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency of the process."
DFO is in communication with all parties involved to figure out how to proceed with the advisory process that will determine the management approach for capelin in 2024.
Oceans North declined an interview and referred Saltwire to a statement posted on its website, which stated "a representative of the fishing industry yelled aggressive and profane comments towards one of our female staff" after the organization's status at the meeting was elevated.
The organization said the language used in Ffaw-unifor's press release on walking out of the meeting was "unwarranted and inflammatory" and asked the union for a retraction, which did not happen.
"Heading into this meeting, we felt we had a strong working relationship with the FFAW, built on mutual trust and respect," read the Oceans North statement. "The disruption of this meeting is unfortunate. The attack on our staff, however, is unacceptable and is a disservice to all those in Atlantic Canada who share our vision of prosperous and sustainable fishing communities."
'UNACCEPTABLE'
In an emailed reply, the Association of Seafood Producers stood firm with the FFAW’S stance.
“Allowing those who actively work to shut down one of the province's most important fisheries a seat at the table as a stakeholder is unacceptable,” read the association’s prepared statement.
“These ENGOS have been campaigning for the complete shutdown of the capelin fishery for years and continue to do so, contradictory to the most recent scientific advice, which has moved the stock to the cautious zone.”
While Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation was mentioned in the FFAW press release, a spokesperson for the Indigenous group said they did not have any representatives at the meeting in Gander and assumed their inclusion was a miscommunication by the union.