LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada introduce legislation to amend the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act to provide for the election of the Board of Directors of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) as opposed to its current appointed status. The Committee further recommends that the Board of Directors be consulted as to the suitability of prospective candidates for appointment to the Presidency of the FFMC.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans take immediate action to resolve the dispute between the President and the Board of Directors of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that, before considering any changes to the FFMC's marketing monopoly, a thorough analysis be done on the Island Lake Fishermen's Co-op report due in 1998, as well as of the FFMC as a whole.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recommends that more funds be allocated to scientific research in the Central and Arctic Regions.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the federal government immediately fund a research study on the effects that high cormorant populations have on fish stocks in the Central Region.

Recommendation 6

The Committee recommends that the Canadian Coast Guard base in Selkirk, Manitoba, remain operational and capable of supplying the full range of services required of the Coast Guard in the Province of Manitoba.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that DFO establish a thorough training program for contractors, requiring them to pass standard knowledge and skills testing criteria.

Recommendation 8

The Committee recommends that the government conduct a full review of the cumulative impact of cost recovery by an independent auditor, and that the Government of Canada consider removing this crippling policy.

Recommendation 9

The Committee recommends that the government take immediate measures to address the current imbalance in the budgetary allocations for fisheries programs in the Great Lakes Region, bearing in mind the significant contribution these freshwater fisheries make to the Canadian economy. Particular attention must be given to increasing levels of funding for science and research in these fisheries.

Recommendation 10

The Committee strongly urges the Government of Canada, through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, to fund the Canadian portion of the Sea Lamprey Control Program from the Department's "A" Base. The Committee further recommends that the Government of Canada, through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, commit to provide a long-term minimum funding guarantee of $8 million per year to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission for the purposes of sea lamprey control and recognize that this commitment is of fundamental importance to the long-term survival of Great Lakes fisheries.

Recommendation 11

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada immediately adopt measures to ensure that a mandatory ballast water exchange program be instituted and effectively enforced for vessels entering Canadian waters.

Recommendation 12

The Committee recommends that the government specifically acknowledge the substantial negative impacts of non-native "exotic" species on the ecology of the Great Lakes and especially on the native fish stocks, and therefore take immediate steps to provide adequate funding and other necessary measures to increase the science and research into the effects of such species, not only on the freshwater fisheries but also in relation to the quality of water in the Great Lakes.

Recommendation 13

The Committee recommends that, with respect to removal and exportation, the Government of Canada affirm its legal authority and jurisdiction over water in the Great Lakes. Furthermore, the federal government should declare that water is not a commodity to be sold for the benefit of a few but is rather an asset of all Canadians.

Recommendation 14

The Committee strongly encourages the federal government to settle the current habitat management dispute between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Government of Ontario. The Government of Canada must put into place a structure whereby the Department of Fisheries and Oceans would have the resources to adequately and efficiently complete the tasks associated with habitat management.

Recommendation 15

The Committee urges the federal government to begin a comprehensive process of DFO restructuring. All changes should be based upon direct consultations with stakeholder groups. Special attention should be paid to areas such as the geographical distribution of personnel and funding and the establishment of a mission statement that would affirm the national mandate of the Department.

Recommendation 16

The Committee observes that the level of technological research in the Ontario Region has been on a steady decline for the past several years. With this in mind, the Committee urges that the federal government fill the scientific void by substantially increasing the levels of meaningful research in Central Canada and specifically around the Great Lakes.