"WE MUST REBUILD COD AND ATLANTIC GROUNDFISH STOCKS"
SAYS SENATE COMMITTEE

Ottawa, March 27, 2003 - The Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans "endorses the general principles" of a position statement and action plan tabled last week by an all-party committee of Newfoundland and Labrador on the future of the northern and Gulf cod stocks.

"In fisheries, reaching a united position with people of various political stripes is no small achievement. The All-Party Committee was able to arrive at a common position with members of the provincial legislature, members from the House of Commons and all six of the Province's Senators. The federal Minister of Fisheries shouldn't dismiss this Action Plan out of hand," said the Honourable Gerald Comeau, who chairs the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

Committee members believe that a special inquiry, such as the Prime Minister's Task Force recommended by the All-Party Committee, is long overdue. The Senate Committee finds it incredible that the reasons why Atlantic groundfish are not recovering remain unknown after all this time.

In a brief report presented earlier today, the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans makes two recommendations:

• that the Government of Canada "act immediately to implement a multi-faceted plan to rebuild the northern and Gulf cod stocks based on the All-Party Committee's Action Plan"; and
  
• that "the Government of Canada establish a Prime Minister's Task Force on the Atlantic Ground Fishery" to find out why Atlantic groundfish stocks are not recovering and to come up with ways to rebuild and maintain these stocks.

Information:

Richard Maurel, Clerk of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
(613) 998-0371 (direct) / (800) 267-7362 (toll free) / maurer@sen.parl.gc.ca

The report and this press release are available on the Web site of the Committee at:
www.senate-senat.ca/fish.asp