Oceana audit says little progress in Canada's fishery management over last five years
A new report says Canadian fisheries management has "fallen short" over the last five years, with nearly one in five fish stocks still "critically depleted."
More than 80 per cent of the critically depleted stocks lack rebuilding plans to restore them to healthy levels, says the fifth annual audit report released Tuesday by Oceana Canada, an independent charity dedicated to ocean conservation.
Robert Rangeley, the advocacy group's science director, called that percentage "extraordinarily high."
"We have a challenge in our oceans where we are not managing them effectively," Rangeley said in a recent interview. "There's no sense of urgency and we are not delivering on commitments."
Oceana Canada's audit investigated 194 Canadian fish stocks and listed 33 in critical condition and the health of 71 as uncertain.
The report said the health status of a third of the stocks remains uncertain because of insufficient data -- leaving the federal Fisheries Department operating "mostly in the dark" as it makes critical decisions on fishing quotas.
Rangeley said there is another pressing issue that needs to be accounted for: a changing climate. "We have this increasing pressure of climate change and we don't know what the vulnerability of many of these stocks are to (that)," he said.
The report noted that the status of about two dozen stocks changes each year. And while species such as deepwater redfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have steadily improved, others, like North Coast Haida Gwaii razor clams, have steadily declined. Some species, like snow crab on the western Scotian shelf, improve one year only to decline the next.
The audit also sounded the alarm about the declining numbers of forage fish -- a development it said puts entire ecosystems at risk. Forage species include bony fish, such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring and capelin, as well as invertebrates like krill and shrimp.
"These essential contributors to ocean ecosystems and Canada's ocean economy face serious threats," the report said. "Of the forage fish that are harvested commercially in Canada, there are few healthy populations -- and none in Atlantic Canada."
The audit cited the critically depleted Atlantic mackerel, a forage species that provides food for other fish, marine mammals and seabirds. It also serves as bait in lucrative lobster fisheries.
The report said there are currently no monitoring or reporting requirements for the Atlantic mackerel stock, adding that it's only recently that bait harvesters in some areas have been required to submit records on landings -- defined as the part of the catch that is put ashore. Those shortcomings, the audit said, limit the federal government's ability to set meaningful timelines and rebuilding targets.
Rangeley said the overfishing of forage species, which he called the "linchpins of the marine ecosystem," needs to stop, adding that more of the fish need to be left in the water.
"Those stocks will go up and down naturally," he said. "The problem that's been seen elsewhere in the world is when you keep fishing them hard and then the stocks crash and you are still fishing them -- the depletion goes further down and stays down longer."
Compounding the problem is an overreliance on four commercial species groups -- lobster, shrimp, snow crab and scallops represent 77 per cent of fisheries revenues in Canada.
Oceana said the Fisheries Department has yet to publish most of its promised rebuilding plans, and those that have been released fall short of global standards.
As well, accompanying regulations have not been created two years after the Fisheries Act became law. Rangeley said that's led to a management performance gap that has to be addressed immediately in order to rebuild faltering stocks.
"Some of those stocks will benefit in the near term while some are so depleted that it will take a long time," he said.
The report said the Fisheries Department has published new rebuilding plans this year for two critically depleted stocks -- Atlantic mackerel and northern cod. But Oceana said the plans lack adequate timelines and targets to help the fish populations recover to healthy levels.
Meanwhile, no rebuilding plans have been developed for 26 of the 33 stocks Oceana listed as in the critical zone.
Oceana, however, said it sees some progress regarding greater transparency, substantial new investments in science, new national standards for monitoring stocks and a modernized Fisheries Act.
But the group says Canada needs to "speed up" the implementation of modern, proven fisheries management measures.
"The urgency is before us now," Rangeley said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard found not guilty of sexual assault
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
Missing B.C. climber died from fall on Mount Baker, medical examiner says
The body of a British Columbia mountain climber has been located and recovered after the 39-year-old man was reported missing during a solo climb on Washington state's Mount Baker earlier this week.
Following child's death in Ontario, here's what you need to know about rabies and bats
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a rabid bat in their bedroom, which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Anne Hathaway confirms 'Princess Diaries 3': 'Miracles happen'
You might be thinking, 'Shut up!' but it’s officially true: the 'Princess Diaries' franchise is finally growing.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Sask. man pleads guilty in U.S. after unknowingly providing videos of men raping toddlers to FBI agent
A Saskatchewan man living in the United States has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he unknowingly provided disturbing videos to an FBI agent he thought was a pedophile.