Question Period Note: Aquatic Invasive Species

• Our government understands the importance of protecting the biodiversity and quality of Canada’s waters.
• We are implementing a new program to better coordinate our work to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in Canada’s waters.
• Management of aquatic invasive species is a responsibility the federal government shares with provincial and territorial governments and we continue to work closely with them, along with our US counterparts, to support prevention and response activities to protect our mutual resources.

Aquatic Invasive Species
• Aquatic invasive species (AIS) pose a serious threat to fish, fish habitat, use of aquatic resources (i.e. fisheries, aquaculture, and recreational industries), and species at risk across Canada.
• AIS of public interest across Canada include:
o Zebra and quagga mussels
o Asian carps (4 species)
o Sea Lamprey
o European green crab
o Invasive tunicates (e.g. vase, clubbed, and violet tunicates)
• The AIS Regulations came into force in 2015 under the Fisheries Act to provide tools for federal action and partnerships with provincial and territorial governments, setting significant expectations regarding Canada’s collective ability to manage AIS. The Regulations list over 164 aquatic species as invasive, requiring prohibitions or controls.
• Budget 2017/18 provided $43.8 million in funding over 5 years and $10.6 million ongoing for national AIS management.
• DFO’s AIS National Core Program was established to implement the AIS Regulations in Canadian waters, to act on sound scientific and other advice, and to report nationally on AIS activities.
• Implementation of the AIS Regulations is a shared priority and responsibility across jurisdictions and orders of government. Some provinces and territories take the lead for freshwater AIS while DFO leads for marine AIS.
• Provinces also spend significant amounts to prevent and manage AIS. For example, Quebec invests $8 million a year and is investing an additional $8 million over 5 years to combat aquatic invasive plants. The Invasive Mussel Defense Program in British Columbia has an annual budget of nearly $4 million. Alberta also has a significant budget targeted at invasive mussels.
• The Commissioner for the Environment and Sustainable Development conducted an audit of the new National Program and released its findings on April 2nd, 2019.
• DFO accepts the recommendations of the Auditor and has implemented an action plan to address them.
• The Auditor recommended that DFO should work with CBSA to address risks associated with watercraft and prohibited imports. The Auditor also recommended that DFO and the CBSA should develop and implement the procedures, tools, and training that border services officers and fishery officers need to assist in enforcing the AIS Regulations. In response, DFO, CBSA and other partners including the Province of Manitoba have developed new protocols, tools and procedures to improve enforcement of the AIS Regulations at international borders. These tools will be tested this summer with a pilot project at Emmerson MB, with a focus on preventing invasive mussels from entering Canada.
Miramichi Lake and River
• Smallmouth Bass was discovered in Miramichi Lake in 2008, a headwater lake in the southwest Miramichi river watershed. This watershed, along with other river systems in New Brunswick, is recognized as some of the most productive Atlantic salmon rivers in the world. Smallmouth Bass is a predator and competitor of other fish, including salmon.
• DFO, as the regulator, is working with the Province and the proponent, the North Shore Micmac District Council, to review the application for an authorization pursuant to subsection 19(3) of the Aquatic Invasive species Regulation under the Fisheries Act for the use of Rotenone to eradicate invasive Smallmouth Bass from Miramichi Lake.
• In August 2019, Smallmouth Bass was reported in the Southwest Miramichi River, downstream from Miramichi Lake.
• The Department is collaborating with the Province, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Miramichi Salmon Association and First Nations to capture and remove smallmouth Bass from the river.
• Response activities that have taken place in the Miramichi River and certain tributaries in the summer-fall 2019 include line fishing (angling), electrofishing (using backpack or boats equipped with an electrofishing device), netting, collection of environmental DNA samples to determine the spread of the invasion, and collaborating with the University of New Brunswick to use a radio-Isotope method to determine the source of the Smallmouth Bass captured in the river.
• Due to the presence of Smallmouth Bass in the river, the proponent is proposing to amend its current application for rotenone use to include part of the river.
• The Department has committed to making a decision on the initial rotenone application for Miramichi Lake project by the end of March 2020. The proposed project amendment to include 10-15 km of the Southwest Miramichi river has modified this timeline. No current timeline has been established as DFO is currently waiting to receive details of the proposed amendment.
• In evaluating the use of deleterious substances, the Department has to consider implications not only for native Atlantic salmon, but also impacts on species at risk, other fish species, other wildlife, and public safety.
• DFO continues to maintain barriers to prevent the invasive Smallmouth Bass from escaping Miramichi lake and annually invests approximately $50k on different physical methods for capturing individuals of all ages and sizes in Miramichi lake (e.g. electrofishing, trapping, netting, and seining).
• The Atlantic Salmon Federation advocates for chemical eradication, but according to a 2018 DFO technical report, the control and monitoring activities for Smallmouth Bass in Miramichi Lake have successfully kept the population of this invasive fish at levels close to depletion, thereby allowing for the viability of the indigenous fish such as Atlantic Salmon.
• The Department is also developing a long-term plan for the management of this aquatic invasive species in the Miramichi River watershed using an integrated management approach based on prevention, detection, response and control, as well as sustained collaboration with partners.

Invasive Smallmouth Bass in the Miramichi System
• Our government understands the importance of protecting the biodiversity and quality of Canada's waters, including in New Brunswick.
• While native to some parts of Canada, Smallmouth Bass is non-native to New Brunswick and is considered invasive in the Miramichi River watershed. The Department is currently working with partners to evaluate the request to authorize the use of a pesticide to eradicate Smallmouth Bass in Miramichi Lake and part of the River.
• In the meantime, DFO and its partners are continuing on-going activities of containment, control and monitoring of Smallmouth Bass in Miramichi Lake and River.
Asian Carp
• In 2017, our government invested $16 million over five years and $4 million on-going in the Asian Carp Program to ensure Canadas’s Great Lakes are well protected from harmful impacts of Asian carps.
• Our government takes a comprehensive preventative approach to address the threat of these species.
• To date, this invasive species has not established itself in Canadian waters of the Great Lakes thanks to structured, organized responses.
Sea Lamprey
• The Sea Lamprey Control Program is administered by the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission to protect native fish species and the fishery in the Great Lakes.
• In accordance with a bi-national agreement, Canada contributes over $9.5 million annually to the control and management of Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes.
• Sea lampreys are at or close to targets in all Great Lakes because of the long-term commitment to the program.
Zebra Mussels
• Zebra and Quagga mussels can cause high economic impact to recreational boaters, municipal and industrial water supplies, and to power generation infrastructure.
• Zebra Mussels are established in the Lake Winnipeg watershed, which is the current western invasion front in Canada. DFO is working with our Prairie partners to develop emergency response plans.
• DFO is working closely with Canada Border Services Agency to improve enforcement of the AIS Regulations, with a focus on preventing prohibited species, including invasive mussels, from entering Canada.