April 2, 1998
(Forest Resources and Agrifoods)

The following statement was issued today by Kevin Aylward, Minister Forest Resources and Agrifoods. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I wish to address some concerns over Community Watershed Management that have been raised by members of the public recently.

Let me say from the outset that there will be no privatization of the province's rivers. The Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods has encouraged and funded resource assessment work and ecosystem sustainability initiated in a couple of other areas. These plans are pilot projects with specific time limits that must report back to government. These organizations and ourselves set out and establish specific roles for the stakeholder groups. There is absolutely no devolution of authority from either the federal or provincial governments. This includes licencing, the establishment of quotas, setting of seasons, and management of the rivers. The federal government maintains management responsibilities and the province maintains property rights.

The Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods has established policy guidelines with Community Watershed Management. They reflect how we feel Community Watershed Management should be practised. These policies are:

- To ensure that conservation and sustainability remain the priority with all parties involved in angling;

- All stakeholders will have input into the river management in an advisory role. They will not unilaterally administer river polices;

- Optimization of benefits for everybody. This means guaranteeing that local anglers will have equal access to rivers;

- Increased enforcement; with a stronger local presence on the rivers, stakeholders will feel more compelled to report suspicious activities. This aids in the reduction of poaching and helps our enforcement officials in their duties;

- The government intends to consult with all stakeholders on the success of the pilot projects.

The provincial government policy guarantees access to the province's rivers for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The Gander River Management Plan is the only plan to have a specific pilot licence. I would like to stress however that this is still a licence issued by the province, not a privately issued licence. The Gander River Management plan is entering the final year of its pilot project. This means that the specific licence will expire at the end of the 1998 season. At the end of the upcoming season, a complete evaluation must be conducted on the efficacy of the Gander River Management Plan including the issue of river specific licencing.

I can assure all members present today and all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, that there will be no further agreements allowing river specific licences during the remaining period of the Gander River Management Plan's operation and its subsequent evaluation by government.

While we recognize the significance of rural revitalization, conservation has been and remains the paramount issue with government and its management of the province's rivers. In addition, the cultural and social traditions of our residents must be safeguarded. We are very aware that Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest resident hunting and angling participation rate of any province in Canada. Our government will not be put in a position that may jeopardize something that so many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians enjoy.

I also wish to address a report from yesterday's Evening Telegram concerning the proposed New Brunswick Salmon Management Plan. This plan has not been released, however the formal management plan for New Brunswick is scheduled to be released next week.

The river with the most severely depressed returns in Atlantic Canada was the Mirimnichi River in New Brunswick. Rivers in St. George's Bay on the west coast of Newfoundland seemed least affected and either increased or remained unchanged. With this information in the hands of DFO, Minister Anderson cannot logically state that Newfoundland anglers are permitted to retain only one salmon while New Brunswick anglers can retain eight. Even with their management plans in place, the disparity that will be created can have detrimental effects on our rivers.

There is no justification for this logic. I have pressed my concerns with Minister Anderson on a conservation basis, however I have also stated that if other Atlantic province's management plans are more generous despite similar declines in salmon stocks, that will send a strong message to our tourism industry and more importantly, our local anglers who will feel like second class citizens.

Newfoundland and Labrador is second class to nobody on this planet. Newfoundland has over 200 rivers with salmon which is more than 50 per cent of the total Atlantic salmon rivers on this continent. We still have more salmon than the rest of North America. Therefore, the management plans in other provinces should not be any more generous in terms of number of fish allowed and any other area of salmon management.

I call upon Minister Anderson to halt this report in New Brunswick and bring in a regional and equitable approach to the entire Atlantic region.