Mr. Chair and honourable members of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, thank you for inviting me to this meeting.

My name is Lyne Morissette, and I'm a marine ecology researcher specializing in ecosystem functioning, fisheries and ocean conservation. Since 2015, I've been interested in the situation of the North Atlantic right whale from the perspective of its ecology, migration and interactions with human activities, including fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I had the opportunity to dive into this world and to participate in a multitude of brainstorming sessions, management meetings, scientific exchanges, sea trials of new fishing technologies, as well as necropsies on whales. It is in this context that I present my remarks today, with the aim of improving the situation and giving the best possible chance to the survival of both species at risk and of humans who must coexist on the same territory.

The situation of the right whale is critical. We're talking about a species that could be extinct in 20 years if nothing is done. In that context, we have to be effective and don't have the luxury of doing without anyone's knowledge.

Since 2017, key representatives in the fisheries sector have consistently encouraged the development of improved knowledge and tools to prevent negative interactions with right whales. Unfortunately, in several critical aspects, there are still major gaps in our knowledge and actions. These gaps also raise risks that are important to note.

First, the lack of knowledge about certain aspects of whale ecology can lead us to spend time and energy on ineffective or unnecessary management and protection measures.

Second, there is a large category of knowledge that isn't optimally integrated into the usual way of doing things, namely, our knowledge of fisheries. These knowledge gaps also pose significant risks, both socioeconomically and environmentally, such as harming fisheries without a clear, valid and quantifiable reason, or ignoring fishers' knowledge of the environment of the species at risk. This is particularly true in the case of threatened species, and we don't have the luxury of turning our noses up at knowledge and ideas in this area.

The current challenge is to try to save a species, the North Atlantic right whale, by managing crab or lobster fishing, in most cases. Saving the right whale is done on the basis of what is called the best possible science, while managing fishing fleets is done by having conservationists and biologists protect whales with crab or lobster fishery management tools without knowing how the fishery operates, its limitations and its opportunities.

Trying to drive a nail with a screwdriver can be ineffective. It's a bit like asking a neurosurgeon to drive a race car. They are both areas of excellence, but you can't ask an expert to switch from one to the other. This mismatch is at the root of the current inefficiency and lack of cohesion in our actions to protect the right whale.

In addition to this imperfect fit, I've noticed over the past five years a distinct lack of consideration for fishers, who are invited to meetings, on a few days' notice and are seen more as decorations or names on a list, rather than being included for all the highly relevant input they can provide to discussions and decisions.

Coexistence is defined as the simultaneous existence with other people or phenomena. Its antonym is succession, which in an ecological sense means that new species can supplant existing species in the quest for resources, leading to the extinction of the main species. Coexistence is a concept often used in ecology to describe the interaction between different species in an ecosystem. We may not realize it, but we're really dealing with issues of two species here: Homo sapiens and Eubalaena glacialis. It reminds us that we humans are also part of the ecosystem.

To coexist is to avoid the disappearance of one of the two components of our system. It's trying to save the fisheries and the whales, and allow them to survive simultaneously in the same territory. To coexist is to ensure that we don't ban fishing and that we don't ignore the plight of a species at risk.

The right whale is an endangered species. As with all species facing the same fate, urgent action is needed. This urgency requires effective measures, not intimidation or indiscriminate actions. The precautionary approach is a solution, provided it isn't one‑sided and also assesses the impact of saving whales on a fishery and coastal communities. To have the best chance of saving the right whale, we need to be effective, both with the tools we use and with the experts we bring to the table. Whenever we've included the views and experience of fishermen in the process, we have had great opportunities, probably the most promising and the most effective.

I think it's by working together that we'll arrive at the best solutions for coexistence.

Thank you.

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