Commission on Pacific Fisheries Policy (Canada) : The Commission on Pacific Fisheries Policy was established under Order in Council, P.C. 60, 12 January 1981, amended by Order in Council, P.C. 262, 28 January 1982, under Part I of the Inquires Act (R.S.C., c.1-13) and on the recommendation of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. The Commission was mandated to inquire into and report upon the condition, management and utilization of the fisheries of the Pacific coast of Canada, excluding the arrangements between Canada and foreign nations governing fishing rights and conservation of stocks, with specific reference to: (a) the condition of the stocks of fish within Canada's jurisdiction off the Pacific coast, current levels of utilization and their relationship to optimum rates of use; (b) the provisions for conservation, management, protection and development of the fish resources, including the protection of their tidal and non-tidal habitat and the enhancement of salmonoid stocks; (c) the structure and size of the commercial fishing fleet and the relationship between the capacity of the fleet to harvest fish and the optimum rates of harvesting the stocks; (d) the policies and procedures for licensing commercial fishing, and for regulating the size and structure of the fishing fleet, including the charges to be levied by the Crown for fishing privileges; and (e) the nature and amount of non-commercial fishing in tidal waters and non-tidal waters for salmonoid species, its impact on the stocks and on the commercial fishery, and the policies and procedures for regulating non-commercial fishing.
And, further, the Commissioner shall make recommendations directed toward ensuring that the public interest is protected in the legislation, policies, procedures and practices affecting the management and use of the fish resources and in particular: (a) that fish resources and their use make the highest possible contribution to the economic and social development of the people of Canada, especially of those resident on the Pacific coast of Canada, recognizing that this contribution may be realized in economic, recreational and other social forms; (b) that granting of fishing privileges to commercial, recreational and native food fishermen is conductive to proper management and conservation, to an equitable division of the catch among sectors, and to economic efficiency in the development of the commercial fishing fleet; (c) that charges levied by the Crown for rights to fish commercially, or to land fish, are consistent with the value of the resources recovered, after fair and reasonable returns to commercial fishing enterprises; (d) that vigour of the fishing industry is maintained and advanced, and its structure, ownership and control is consistent with industrial efficiency; and (e) that provisions for management, enhancement and protection of the fish resources, for the administration of fisheries policy, and for consultation and communication between the Government of Canada and private groups involved in fishing activity are systematic and efficient. The commissioner was Peter H. Pearse. The secretary was E. Richard Danby.
After a decade of record prices for salmon and herring, the fishing industry on the Pacific Coast faced generally depressed conditions in the early 1980s. For example, the total value of the fishery in 1980 was 250 million dollars compared with 566 million in 1979. In 1981, the industry improved slightly but it was still severely depressed. Peter Pearse, the Commissioner appointed by the Government of Canada to inquire into the fisheries observed:
"Canada's Pacific fisheries are at a crisis point. This year, following two depressed years, the economic circumstances of the commercial fisheries are exceptionally bleak. In addition, there is a growing concern about the precarious condition of many of our fish stocks and increasing anxiety among Indians about their traditional fishing rights and among sport fishermen about their recreational opportunities. Although aggravated by current conditions, the economic problems and other concerns are rooted in fundamental deficiencies in fisheries policy. However, within an improved policy framework, we can turn what is now a bleak and problematical picture into an exceedingly bright one in the future. Our resources are remarkably rich; indeed they are enviable in comparison to those of most other fishing regions. And while some stocks are depressed, they are generally in much better condition than the heavily exploited resources in much of the rest of the world."
Pearse pointed out, there had not been a thorough independent assessment of the Pacific fishing industry since Gordon McGregor Sloan undertook a federal inquiry on Pacific salmon in 1939. An inquiry into fisheries policy, therefore, was timely. It was hoped that the reforms suggested might enable the fisheries to realize their full potential (see Turning The Tide: A New Policy For Canada's Pacific Fisheries, The Commission on Pacific Fisheries Policy, Final Report, Peter H. Pearse, Commissioner, Vancouver - September 1982, Ottawa, Supply and Services Canada, 1982, p. vii; Preliminary Meeting, Commission on Pacific Fisheries Policy, Prince Rupert, 13 February 1981, RG 33/132, Vol. 7, pp. 5-7 and Canadian Annual Review, 1981, p. 410).
Hearings of the commission were held in Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Prince Rupert, Vancouver, North Vancouver, Victoria, Terrace, Kispiox, Powell River, Campbell River, Port Hardy and Whitehorse from 8 April 1981 to 29 April 1982. The commission received 193 submissions.
In addition, informal meetings were held in several towns and villages along the coast of British Columbia and in the interior. RG33-132 General Inventory
