The regulations are the teeth behind the amendments to the fisheries law passed in 2019 and closely monitored by the commercial fishing industry and environmentalists. The changes were published Wednesday in the Canada Gazette. Identify 30 large fish stocks that will require a reconstruction plan if they fall below the so-called “benchmark” – where their productivity is likely to drop so much as to cause serious damage. The DFO said 16 large fish stocks are in this state. Reconstruction plans for five have already been developed and the remaining 11 stocks are in various stages of project development. The department minister will have up to three years to work out a reconstruction plan once the stock reaches its limit reference point.
Public illustrated drawings
Published plans should explain why the stock is in trouble, measurable goals and timelines for reconstruction and how it should be achieved. If a stock can not be rebuilt, the minister must publicly explain why. The regulations state that fishing is permitted during the development of a project, provided that “the level of fishing stock during this period is consistent with the reconstruction of the stock above the reference point”. “The regulations will lead to increased transparency and accountability that accompanies regulatory oversight compared to policy approaches,” DFO said in a statement accompanying the regulations. The regulations follow recent DFO decisions to close fisheries on both shores on the grounds that stocks have been depleted by overfishing. Late last year, DFO shut down herring in the Pacific. In late March, it closed its spring spawning herring bay in St. Lawrence Bay and all Atlantic mackerel fishing.
The fishermen are disappointed
On the east coast, the decision sparked outrage from an industry whose livelihoods were shut down. Martin Malet, executive director of the Marine Fishermen’s Association, is disappointed that the moratorium on spring spawning was imposed when his organization asked the DFO for a reconstruction plan for years. It is one of those that are still in progress. “If you look at the success stories we have in other resources, like the lobster or the snow crab, they were all successful because, from the beginning, we have very good cooperation from both fishermen and science,” Mallet said. “And at the moment, in many of these shares that we see in this list, we do not have this cooperation with DFO and the minister.” Mallett said DFO’s scientific assessments should better reflect the impact of predators such as seal stocks and climate change that could move fish to areas where they may not be caught in research. Mallet added: “I think there are some positive things out there about a roadmap to implementing these inventory plans.”
Environmentalists support the regulations
Josh Laughren, executive director of the Oceana environmental team, said he fully supported the regulations and said it was time for DFO to act to protect depleted stocks. “I think it’s a sign that they have the courage of their beliefs here. Stocks like herring and mackerel, herring on both shores, mackerel [on the] “The Atlantic was clearly exhausted, clearly due to overfishing,” Laughren said. Laughren said the regulations became law “what was supposed to be fisheries policy and management for a long time. Implementation matters, of course, but it’s a good, strong step in implementing proper management fisheries that have been on the books for quite some time “. In Atlantic Canada, there are reconstruction plans for depleted cod stocks in much of Newfoundland and Labrador, and for all Atlantic mackerel and northern shrimp in the northern part of the province. In the southern bay of St. Lawrence, reconstruction plans are being drawn up for winter turbot, white hake, American plaice, herring and cod. Atlantic cod off the coast of southern Nova Scotia and southern Newfoundland and Labrador growing In British Columbia, bocaccio rock, Chinook salmon on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Chinook Okanagan salmon, Coho Salmon interior Fraser, Pacific Haida Gwaii herring and yellow rock in the water are important reserves below . Claire Teichman, spokeswoman for Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, said the regulations were the result of consultations with industry, indigenous and environmental groups. “Minister Murray’s priority is the sustainable development of Canada’s fish and seafood industry,” Teichman told CBC News after the story was published. “The new amendments that modernize the fisheries law are key to strengthening our management framework, as they impose binding obligations on the DFO for the sustainable management of designated fish stocks and the implementation of timely restructuring plans if they are exhausted.”
