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LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that the federal government appoint a Commissioner of Aquaculture Development without further delay, and that he/she collaborate with the industry and the province to develop enhanced aquaculture.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans ensure that personnel in the Shellfish Leasing Division in the DFO office in Charlottetown are trained to use the AutoCAD computer mapping system and that qualified personnel are always available during business hours to issue maps of shellfish leases to the public.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans undertake a review of the Aquaculture Leasing Program in conjunction with stakeholders and the Province of Prince Edward Island in order to develop a more acceptable method of administering the Program and to improve Program delivery.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans devise a better system of monitoring the marking of aquaculture leases and that it lay charges against individuals who abuse the lease marking system. The Committee recommends that the onus should be on the holders of aquaculture leases to ensure that the lease markers are correctly positioned.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans conduct public consultations with local residents, industry stakeholders and other users prior to granting aquaculture leases in public waters.

Recommendation 6

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans delay its plans to revise the lease marking system for the mussel culture industry until it has consulted with industry to address concerns relating to liability and the colour of the lease line markers that border on navigational channels/corridors.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans devise a system in P.E.I. to record landings and issue landing slips to protect both the buyer and the seller.

Recommendation 8

The Committee recommends that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans act immediately to fulfil his commitment to complete a thorough and detailed study of the cumulative impact of cost recovery on the fishing industry and coastal communities with a view to scaling back fees should it be determined that they represent an excessive burden on any sector of the fishing industry, community, or region.

Recommendation 9

In the interests of safety, the Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans continue to conduct essential dredging of fishing harbours.

Recommendation 10

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans fulfil its commitment to bring wharves and harbours up to a safe and fully operational standard of repair before divestiture to local harbour authorities.

Recommendation 11

The Committee recommends that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans demonstrate his commitment to conservation by acting immediately to increase the number of fishery officers in Prince Edward Island to a level that will ensure that both the resource and the interests of legitimate licence holders are protected.

Recommendation 12

The Committee recommends that, in the future, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans work in true partnership with industry, and incorporate input from stakeholders into policy and decision making.

Recommendation 13

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans establish a policy for announcing decisions which impact on the livelihood of fishery stakeholders a minimum of 60 days in advance of the usual effective date so that industry can be in position to plan ahead.

Recommendation 14

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans develop a program to involve fish harvesters and academics in DFO science, and develop a model to incorporate local knowledge into scientific research, assessement and data gathering.

Recommendation 15

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans develop a transparent and consistent policy on access to quotas to be applied equitably to all regions.

Recommendation 16

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans increase its monitoring of both native and non-native lobster fisheries without partiality, and to encourage its representatives to request stiffer fines and penalties for all those caught fishing illegally.

Recommendation 17

The Committee recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans review the claims of the 17 scallopers who lost their spring scallop fishing season, to determine whether DFO can provide any form of assistance within its current budgetary constraints, and that DFO advise the scallopers of any alternatives.

Recommendation 18

The Committee recommends that the federal government ensure, before entering in to any new international agreement such as the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), that the interests of the Canadian fishing industry as a whole and those of individual Canadian stakeholders are fully protected.