DFO adopts new regulations aimed at combating depleted fish stocks

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has passed new regulations that commit its minister to rebuilding Canada’s depleted fish stocks and ensuring healthy fish stocks remain that way, coming weeks after two east coast fisheries were closed in the name of sustainability.

The regulations are the basis for changes to the Fisheries Act passed in 2019 and are being closely watched by the commercial fishing industry and environmentalists. The changes were published Wednesday in the Canada Gazette.

It has identified 30 major fish stocks that will require a recovery plan if they fall below a so-called “limit reference point”, where there is a high probability that their productivity will decline to the point that serious damage will occur.

DFO said 16 major fish stocks are in this situation. Recovery plans for five herds have already been developed and the remaining 11 herds are in various stages of plan development.

The minister in charge of the department will have three years to develop a recovery plan once the herd has reached a critical reference point.

Publicly Explained Plans

Publicly published plans must explain why the herd is in trouble, measurable goals and a timeline for recovery, and how they will be achieved.

If recovery is not possible, the Minister must publicly explain why.

The regulations state that fishing is allowed while the plan is being developed, provided that “the level of fish catch at that time is consistent with the recovery of the stock above the limit reference point.”

“These regulations will lead to increased transparency and accountability that comes with regulatory oversight compared to political approaches,” DFO said in a statement accompanying the regulations.

These regulations follow DFO’s recent decisions to close fisheries on both coasts due to depleted fish stocks due to overfishing.

Late last year, DFO closed the Pacific herring fishery. In late March, it closed the spawning herring fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the entire Atlantic mackerel fishery.

Fishermen frustrated

On the East Coast, the decision sparked outrage among industries whose livelihoods were curtailed.

Martin Mallet, executive director of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, is frustrated because the moratorium on spring-spawning herring comes after his organization has been asking DFO for a recovery plan for years, one that is still in development.

“If you look at the success stories we’ve had in other stocks, like lobster and snow crab, they’ve all been managed successfully because we’ve had really good cooperation from both the fishermen and the scientists from the very beginning,” Mallet said.

“And currently, for many of the actions we see on this list, we are not cooperating with DFO and the minister.”

Mallett said DFO’s scientific assessment needs to better reflect the impact of predators such as seals on stocks and climate change, which could cause fish to move to areas where they cannot be caught during research.

Mallet added: “I think there are some positive things in it in terms of a roadmap to implementing stock recovery plans.”

Environmentalists support regulations

Josh Laughren, executive director of the environmental organization Oceana, fully supports these regulations and said it is high time for DFO to take action to protect depleted resources.

“I think it’s a sign that they have the courage to speak their minds here. Stocks like herring and mackerel, herring on both coasts and mackerel (in) the Atlantic have been depleted, apparently because of overfishing,” Laughren said.

Laughren said the regulations put into effect “are what was supposed to be policy and the way the fishery should have been managed for a long time. Of course, implementation is important, but this is a good, strong step that implements good fisheries management, which we have been talking about for some time.”

In Atlantic Canada, plans have been implemented to rebuild depleted cod stocks off most of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as all Atlantic mackerel and northern shrimp stocks off the northern part of the province.

In the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, recovery plans are underway for winter flounder, white hake, American plaice, spring-spawning herring and cod. Work continues on Atlantic cod off southern Nova Scotia and southern Newfoundland and Labrador

In British Columbia, the main stocks below the allowable reference point are bocaccio salmon, west coast Chinook salmon on Vancouver Island, Okanagan Chinook salmon, inland Fraser coho salmon, Haida Gwaii Pacific herring and yellow-eyed rockfish.

Claire Teichman, press secretary to Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, said the regulations were the result of consultations with industry, indigenous peoples and environmental groups.

“Minister Murray’s priority is the sustainability of Canada’s seafood sector,” Teichman said in a statement to CBC News after this story was published.

“The new amendments to the Fisheries Act are crucial to strengthening our management framework, as they place binding obligations on DFO to sustainably manage certain fish stocks and implement timely recovery plans in the event of depletion.”

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