Role
The role of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Snow Crab Advisory Committee (Committee) is to provide advice to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on the management of the snow crab fishery in Crab Fishing Areas (CFA) 12 (12, 18, 25, 26), 12E, 12F and 19, that is the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (SGSL).
Scope
The Committee contributes to the identification of the goals, the needs and the common management measures related to conservation of the resource, and recommends the appropriate tools needed. The Committee provides advice on the following elements (others may be identified): the total allowable catch (TAC) level in the SGSL; the process for developing and the implementation of TAC decision rules for the SGSL; common management measures and other elements affecting all management areas of the SGSL.
Chairman
The Committee will be chaired by the Gulf Region of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
Sub-Committees
Sub-Committees or working groups may be tasked with examining and evaluating elements or management measures relevant to the SGSL.
Proceeding of the Meeting
The deliberations of the Committee are public unless a majority of the Committee members decide otherwise prior to the meeting. The deliberations are not to be recorded by the media. Observers are welcome but do not sit at the discussion table and do not participate in the discussions unless invited to by the Chairman. The Chairman can limit the number of observers if space is limited.
Administration
The Committee does not proceed by way of voting, rather it seeks to find consensus from the members. The summary of Committee meetings will be prepared and distributed by DFO.
Meeting Documents and Minutes
Industry submissions need to be sent at least three weeks prior to the advisory committee meeting, in both official languages.
Minutes for the meeting will be provided to all members within two months following the meeting.
Code of Conduct
The committee shall abide by the gulf region’s code of conduct for fisheries management advisory committee meeting. See Annex A.
Members
See tables below.
| Members | # of Members |
|---|---|
| CFA 121 | 33 |
| CFA 12E1 | 1 |
| CFA 12F1 | 3 |
| CFA 191 | 5 |
| Province (NB, QC, GNS, PEI) | 4 |
| Processors (NB, QC, GNS, PEI) | 4 |
| Total members at the table | 50 |
1Members in CFA 12, CFA 12E, CFA 12F, CFA 19 only include Fleets and First Nations
| Fleet | Organisations | # of Members |
|---|---|---|
| NB | Association des Crabiers Acadiens (ACA) | 2 |
| NB | Association des Pêcheurs Professionnels Crabiers Acadiens (APPCA)/Fédération Régionale Acadienne des Pêcheurs Professionnels (FRAPP) | 2 |
| Qc | Association des Crabiers Gaspésiens inc. (ACG) | 2 |
| Qc | Regroupement des pêcheurs professionnels des Îles-de-la-Madeleine (RPPIM) | 2 |
| PEI | PEI Snow Crab Fishermen Inc | 2 |
| GNS | Area 18 Crab Fishermen’s Association | 2 |
| Fleet | Organizations | # of Members |
|---|---|---|
| NB | Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) | 2 |
| QC | G-1 Mobile gears Gaspe; G-2 Mobile and fix gears Magdalen Islands; G-3 Larger longline harvesters Gaspé; G-4 Fix gears <45' Gaspé; G-5 Lobster harvesters RPPSG; G-6 Lobster harvesters Magdalen Islands | 2 |
| PEI | PEI Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) | 2 |
| GNS | Gulf Nova Scotia (GNS) | 2 |
| Fleet | Organizations | # of Members |
|---|---|---|
| NB | Buctouche MicMac | 1 |
| NB | Eel River Bar First Nation | 1 |
| NB | Eel Ground (Natoaganeg) | 1 |
| NB | Elsipogtog First Nation | 1 |
| NB | Esgenoôpetij First Nation | 1 |
| NB | Indian Island | 1 |
| NB | Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation | 1 |
| NB | Pabineau | 1 |
| QC | La nation Micmac de Gespeg | 1 |
| QC | Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government | 1 |
| QC | Micmacs of Gesgapegiag | 1 |
| PEI | Abegweit | 1 |
| PEI | Lennox Island | 1 |
There is a total of 33 representatives from Area 12.
| Fleet | # of Members |
|---|---|
| Traditional (QC, GNS) & We’koqma’q First Nation | 2 |
| New access (QC, GNS) | 1 |
There is a total of 3 representatives from Area 12F.
| Association | # of Members |
|---|---|
| Area 19 Snow Crab Association | 2 |
| Paq’tnkek First Nation | 1 |
| Pictou Landing First Nation | 1 |
| Wagmatcook Band Council | 1 |
There is a total of 5 representatives from Area 19.
ANNEX A
GULF REGION’S CODE OF CONDUCT FOR FISHERIES MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Communications
In order to maximize the exchange of information among parties and minimize misunderstandings, DFO and Advisory Committee members should:
- speak clearly, listen carefully and ask for clarification if a point is not understood;
- share information related to the issues at hand;
- clearly explain what is important to them, what their interests are and why;
- state their perspective as concisely and briefly as possible; and
- not knowingly provide misleading or inaccurate information.
The Committee Chair shall ensure that all Committee members have the opportunity to speak and all perspectives and interests are heard by:
- seeking the active participation of all members; and
- providing opportunities for all members to be heard.
Mutual Respect
DFO and Advisory Committee members shall maintain a respectful atmosphere, by:
- respecting each other’s values and interests;
- separating issues from people;
- avoiding accusatory or critical language, rude behavior, and stereotyping;
- listening to what others have to say without interrupting;
- beginning meetings on time;
- seeking a better understanding of other perspectives with an open mind;
- recognizing the legitimacy of all interests; and
- allowing members the freedom to be creative, brainstorm, and test ideas without prejudice to future discussions.
Civility
During all discussions or meetings, participants are asked to demonstrate civility. Harassing or violent language or behavior will not be tolerated and may result in immediate sanctions as described in the section Failure to respect the code of conduct.
Observers
Observers must respect the need for orderly management of the business before the Committee and the rights of others in the meeting. Observers must follow any directions made by the chairperson.
Failure to Respect this Code of Conduct
The intent of this Code of Conduct is to allow for Advisory Committee meeting to occur in a respectful and civilized manner. Failure to comply with this Code of Conduct may lead to some of the following outlined Administrative Sanctions being applied:
- the non-compliant individual(s) may be asked to leave the meeting;
- the meeting may be terminated;
- the individual(s) may be prohibited from attending the next meeting; and
- the individual(s) may be prohibited from attending all meetings with the Department for a period of time, such as up to one year.