Fisheries Advisory Council Supports Minister’s Position on Adjacency and Call for Inclusion in the Fisheries Act

  • Fisheries and Land Resources

February 26, 2018

The provincial Fisheries Advisory Council concludes that the inclusion of the principle of in the federal Fisheries Act would provide strong support for efforts to ensure the long-term viability of the fishing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The council reached its conclusion in response to a fall 2017 request from the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources, for an examination of the adjacency principle and the federal Fisheries Act, and the Provincial Government’s proposal that adjacency be included in the legislation.

The Act to amend the Fisheries Act was introduced on February 6, 2018, by the Federal Government to provide a framework for the proper management and control of fisheries and the conservation and protection of all fish and fish habitat, including pollution prevention.

The Fisheries Advisory Council reviewed the proposed amendments, and in a February 23 letter to Minister Byrne, acknowledged the importance of adjacency to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Established in 2017, the Fisheries Advisory Council provides strategic advice to the Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources on fisheries and aquaculture matters, with the goal of maximizing the value of available resources to the province. The council provides industry stakeholders with ongoing opportunities for input into government decision making on the province’s fishing industry.

Quote
“We have long advocated for the principle of adjacency and its entrenchment in federal fisheries legislation. Newfoundlanders and Labradorian should always be the primary beneficiaries of natural resources off their coast.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne,
Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources

– 30 –

Learn More
Fisheries Advisory Council letter to Minister Byrne www.fishaq.gov.nl.ca/publications/index.html

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Media contacts
Connie Boland
Fisheries and Land Resources
709-637-2923, 640-6409
connieboland@gov.nl.ca

William Wells
Chair of Fisheries Advisory Council
wwells@nl.rogers.com

2018 02 26 1:45 pm