This decision had been taken, two days before the opening of the commercial herring fishery, by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in order to regenerate the stocks of the two species which would be in critical area
.
Since then, pelagic fishermen have received no response from Ottawa, which is slow to decide on possible financial compensation.
According to the president of the Association of Professional Pelagic Fishermen of Southern Gaspésie, Ghislain Collin, a dozen fishermen are currently in a very critical position.
There are many herring and mackerel fishermen in the southern Gaspé, but those who live solely from pelagic fishing, we are talking about a dozen captains. They’ve been hit totally and they got nothing else
he raises.
Mr. Collin notes that some members of the group are going through a very difficult period.
” It is great distress. »
He recalls that many fishermen had invested in order to prepare for this fishing season which never took place.
The guys got their boats ready, they made investments, they started hiring their deckhands and they started working on the boats.
says Mr. Collin.
He would like the DFO
take the time to sit down with each of the fishermen affected by this decision and to see the impact it has had on them.Each of them is different, has a different boat, different equipment and different needs. […] Even if the DFO told us [de prendre la mer], The evil is already done. The crews have gone elsewhere, everything has to be rebuilt anew
emphasizes Ghislain Collin.
According to him, some fishermen hope to have a license buyback and others would like this suspension to be lifted.
Fishermen left behind
Captain Tom Langelier is one of those fishermen who lives only from herring and mackerel fishing.
” I don’t know how I’m going to survive in the next few months, it’s a headache. We live from day to day and tomorrow morning, we don’t know what could happen. »
I put all my savings aside to put them in my boat. […] Now my guys, what do I do with them? Good luck, next year we won’t have them. If they could at least issue permits so we could go fishing, it wouldn’t be so bad.
he mentions.
For his part, fisherman Norbert Duguay believes that the situation is dramatic
for his business.
” 70 to 80% of my income comes from the pelagic. We are talking about a loss of revenue of $100,000 for my company. I will not be able to get through this period on my own, without the help of the government. »
His boat was launched on May 10, but since then he has remained at the dock most of the time.
I had a week of fishing and since that time my boat is still at the dock. I’m leaving for two weeks with turbot and that’s all I’ll be able to do as fishing
he admits.
Mr. Duguay affirms that his employees will soon no longer be able to benefit from employment insurance benefits.
The PQ asks Ottawa to act
The elected members of the Parti Québécois (PQ) are putting pressure on Ottawa to find a solution that would allow fishermen to get their heads above water.
We pleaded with the Government of Quebec, with Fisheries Minister André Lamontagne, to put pressure on the federal government. We don’t know if he got an answer, but one thing is certain, at the present time, things have to move
confirms the deputy of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau.
” You can’t leave people like that to their fate. »
It is important for us to be in support of the pelagic fishermen of the southern Gaspé who are experiencing a season that was very cavalierly suspended by the federal government on the eve of the departure
judge, in turn, the member for Gaspé, Méganne Perry Mélançon.
Passing through the region with the aim of confirming the nomination of Alexis Deschênes as a PQ candidate in Bonaventure, Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon also wanted to reach out to the fishermen.
If I were Prime Minister, we would have a country and since we would have a country, we would have decentralized all the powers surrounding the fisheries on a regional basis. […] There, we have such a terrible example. There is someone in Ottawa who made a decision without notice, without having the scientific basis, and it affects the lives of many fishermen
says the PQ leader.
Along the same lines, Alexis Deschênes feels that the way fishermen have been treated is inhuman
.
It just doesn’t look good to treat people that way. So it’s our job to come and listen to them, to support them and to put pressure on them because right now it’s very disappointing.
he admits.
” Seriously, I’m outraged when I hear what’s happening to them. […] The Federal Fisheries Minister is [insensible]. »
He reiterates that many fishermen will be forced to obtain social assistance if the status quo remains.
These people, they were ready, they had invested, they had prepared their fishing season. The least the government can do is first give them some support, some income. […] We can’t leave people like that saying ” die, get organized and we’ll move on ”
continues Mr. Deschênes.
A disguised moratorium?
According to elected officials, this suspension of fishing by the federal government looks like a moratorium.
A mackerel and herring season has been in the works since November and it was only announced on March 30 that there would be no fishing this year, but we don’t know when fishing will resume either. . We’re not talking about a moratorium, but it looks like a moratorium in disguise
supports Méganne Perry Mélançon.
Joël Arseneau agrees with the ban on fishing.
We don’t even dare to speak of a moratorium, but of a suspension, which means that the federal government does not have to assume its responsibilities with regard to these fishermen whose livelihood is being taken away
he says.
” I did not think that in 2022, we could experience a situation of federal irresponsibility to this extent in the area of fisheries. It’s as if we didn’t exist in Gaspésie and I find that absolutely shameful. »
Until now, the DFO
indicates that the decision will be reviewed only after the next stock assessment for mackerel and herring.With information from Isabelle The Rose
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca