Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has negotiated a new agreement with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and he has angered Newfoundlanders.
The agreement, which is before the House of Commons, will go into place unless Canada raises objections.
Critics say the proposed agreement will open Canada’s 200-mile limit to NAFO member countries, and it will also give European countries a voice in setting quotas and inspection of Canadian vessels. The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization is an intergovernmental group that manages the fisheries in the northwestern Atlantic. Member countries include the United States, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Norway and Russia.
“I have recently been briefed by former Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials and other NAFO experts, and I am convinced that the proposed amendments [to the current NAFO agreement] could be detrimental to the ability of our country to protect and conserve our fishery resources inside of our 200-mile limit,” Newfoundland/Labrador Premier Danny Williams said on September 11.
On the same day, Williams sent a letter to Harper which said in part: “Despite an earlier request from our Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to tighten components of the amendment, new information has assured the province that the only course of action that is acceptable is to refuse ratification of the amendment.”
Williams concluded: “Given this I ask that you immediately reconsider the federal government’s approach to NAFO. I implore your government to immediately withdraw these proposed amendments to the NAFO Convention from the House of Commons and instruct your officials to refuse ratification of the draft NAFO Convention and launch a formal objection. Our fisheries resources and fish harvesters in Quebec and Atlantic Canada deserve our best and most diligent efforts to protect them, and our very sovereignty as a nation deserves likewise.”
On September 16, Elizabeth Matthews, Williams’s director of communications, said, “The premier has not yet had a response from the Prime Minister.”
Defending the Harper government’s action, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Minister Gail Shea said on September 11: “The Government of Canada and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) have had encouraging success in recent years in enforcing rules on the high seas in the NAFO Regulatory Area.”
However, some critics claim Canadian sovereignty and fishing rights are being compromised,” Shea said. “While these critics are entitled to their opinion the facts are clear. Much has been achieved in reforming NAFO and as a result of these efforts, rules are being followed and some important fish stocks are already showing signs of recovery. Canada will continue its strong enforcement, but this is only one part of the solution.”
Williams countered: “While your ministers and officials argue that NAFO has become a more effective management organization, we continue to see overfishing of the turbot quota by the EU [European Union].” He also charged EU fishermen with misreporting of “moratorium species.”
But Shea does not agree with critics of the agreement. “Let me be clear: Canada maintains control over its waters under the amended convention. No NAFO measures will ever be applied in Canadian waters unless (1) Canada requests that they apply and (2) votes in favor of such measures.”
She added: “The amended convention emphasizes consensus on decisions wherever possible, and a strengthened voting system helps protect Canada’s interests within NAFO. If an agreement cannot be reached among members, NAFO must maintain the existing allocations of fish stocks. As a result, this new voting system will help protect Canada’s fish quotas in NAFO.”
Shea concluded: “Canada remains committed to ratifying these important amendments for the future of our fisheries and the long-term health of our marine resources.”