Meeting of Atlantic Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers

The Atlantic Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (ACFAM) met in St. John�s, Newfoundland and Labrador, today. The ACFAM is made up of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers from the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Nunavut and the federal government.

"It was my pleasure to welcome the ACFAM to St. John�s and I very much enjoyed hosting my counterparts from the other Atlantic Provinces, Quebec and Nunavut. My department looks forward to continued positive relations in the future" said co-chair Tom Rideout, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"This was an important opportunity to meet with my colleagues to discuss the challenges that lie ahead for our fishing and aquaculture industries and how we can better work together to develop long-term, sustainable solutions for our resources and those that depend on them," said co-chair Loyola Hearn, federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

DFO�s objectives for fisheries renewal - improve conservation outcomes, stabilize access and allocation, share stewardship, modernize compliance and take steps to improve the economic viability of the fishing sector - were key items of discussion among ministers. Provinces and Nunavut expressed support for this new direction and for Minister Hearn�s vision of sustainable management of the publicly-owned resource for the greatest benefit to Canadians. They called on the federal government to proceed as soon as possible with changes to the Fisheries Act.

Federal-provincial and territorial governments agreed that they must work collectively to develop comprehensive approaches to manage oceans resources from sea to market, to find long-term solutions to challenges in the fishery and aquaculture sector and to identify new opportunities.

During the meeting:

• Ministers agreed to work together to address the many real challenges facing the industry by renewing our approach to fisheries and habitat management, aquaculture and oceans;
• Ministers recognized the increasing importance of aquaculture to rural and coastal communities and agreed to move as quickly as possible on an Aquaculture Framework Agreement which will harmonize legal, regulatory and policy initiatives;
• Ministers directed officials to complete the profile of current issues, challenges and opportunities facing the snow crab industry and report back by fall 2006. This in-depth analysis will lead to future measures to address challenges faced by this sector of the fishing industry;
• Ministers approved the terms of reference for a new task group on shrimp and agreed to ensure continued multilateral coordination and information-sharing in advance of the 2007 fishery;
• Following a presentation by the Province of Ontario on American eel, ministers established a short-term task group for ACFAM jurisdictions and Ontario to contribute to an integrated conservation plan for the American eel and report back to the ministers, and
• Ministers discussed the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Group and agreed that a cooperative inter-jurisdictional approach was necessary to effectively address the issue.

The council received a presentation from the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI) on its efforts to expand its activities throughout the Atlantic. Ministers expressed their appreciation for the work of the centre and supported the long-term viability of the centre.

Given the opening of the seal hunt tomorrow and recent media attention over this activity, ministers acknowledged that the annual seal hunt is well-managed, sustainable, humane and legitimate.

The ACFAM meets on a regular basis to discuss and work collaboratively on fisheries and aquaculture issues of particular interest to Eastern Canada.

Media contact:
Steve Outhouse, Office of the Minister, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, (613) 992-3474
Sophie Galarneau, Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, (613) 990-7537
Lori Lee Oates, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, (709) 729-3733

2006 03 24                                        4:35 p.m.