Marine council program director calls for vigilance to keep fishing sustainable

Kurtis Hayne, the program director for Canada for the Marine Stewardship Council, is calling for proactive decisions to keep fisheries sustainable amid ongoing climate change.

Hayne spoke with CTV News Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko about sustainability on Thursday, noting the rapid changes the waters on the East Coast have seen in recent years.

“The last two years have been the hottest on record,” he said. “The North Atlantic just went through a 421-day record-breaking heatwave. The Bay of Fundy is warming at a rate of 2.2 times (more than) the rate the rest of the ocean is warming.

“It’s creating a lot of changes. It’s happening much more rapidly than we thought it would.”

The Marine Stewardship Council is a global not-for-profit that aims to curb overfishing around the world and ensure seafood remains available for future generations.

“We’re seeing lobsters migrate northward,” Hayne said. “We’re seeing shrimp stocks decline. We’re seeing fish stocks increase. This is going to stress our ability to manage these fisheries sustainably.

“We’re seeing these effects at home.”

Hayne said Canada needs to continue its investment in sustainability and climate change initiatives.

“It’s important we limit the stressors on these species,” he said.