Question Period Note: International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

The Government of Canada is committed to the restoration of fish stocks and healthy ocean ecosystems.

At these negotiations with international partners, Canada successfully advocated for a moderate catch increase of western Atlantic Bluefin tuna, in line with the best available scientific advice.

I understand that others hoped for Canada to seek a much higher catch limit, but the best scientific advice did not support that.

Canada also successfully advocated for a stronger conservation measure for North Atlantic Shortfin mako sharks, prohibiting fishers from landing them in 2022.

This government will continue to advance science-based decision-making, and act in a precautionary way, which is in the best interests of the stocks and the long-term economic health of Canada’s fishing industry. 

• The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna is a 52 member regional fisheries management organization. Canada’s primary interest in ICCAT is the conservation and sustainable management of fisheries. The most significant of these fisheries for Canada are western Atlantic Bluefin tuna and North Atlantic swordfish.
• The 27th Regular meeting of ICCAT took place virtually from November 15-23, 2021. Canada’s priority at this meeting was to ensure that conservation and management measures be adopted for North Atlantic Shortfin mako and western Atlantic Bluefin tuna.
• In developing Canada’s positions for ICCAT, as well as throughout negotiations related to western Atlantic Bluefin tuna, First Nations, Canadian fishing industry representatives, provincial governments, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) and other relevant stakeholders are consulted extensively.

Western Bluefin Tuna
• In 2021, a new stock assessment for wBFT indicated that the stock could support a sizeable TAC increase of up to 57 per cent without imposing a significant risk of overfishing. However, despite optimistic projections, ICCAT’s Scientific Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS) recommended that only a moderate increase should be considered when adopting a management measure. The SCRS did not define moderate in the assessment, but various alternative assessment approaches suggested an increase between 4 and 28 per cent.
• At the 27th Regular meeting, Canada supported a one year measure with a moderate TAC increase, in line with the science advice. During the negotiations, parties with no direct harvesting of this stock (European Union, Norway) pursued relatively small increases, while other members who do harvest this stock (United States, Japan, Mexico) pursued moderate to slightly more substantial increases. After significant negotiation, consensus was reached to increase the TAC by 16 per cent, to 2,726 tonnes. This outcome is supported by the scientific advice and reflects a precautionary approach given the uncertainties identified in that advice.
• Canada’s fishing industry representatives and Atlantic provinces expressed strong support for an increase of 57 per cent, in line with the most optimistic elements of the SCRS work, and expressed significant frustration with the decision to seek only a moderate increase. However, this element of the scientific advice was subsequently determined to not be scientifically sound.

Shortfin mako sharks
• Canada has worked for a number of years to increase protection and conservation of North Atlantic Shortfin Mako shark at ICCAT. Negotiations made significant progress throughout 2021 resulting in a new proposal that was discussed extensively at the meeting. Consensus was eventually reached on a measure that will ban retention of North Atlantic Shortfin mako sharks in 2022, and thereafter will only permit retention if total fishing mortality remains low enough to allow the stock to rebuild.
• A retention ban at ICCAT aligns with Canada’s recent domestic ban on retention of North Atlantic Shortfin mako. Some ENGOs may be critical of the measure as they advocated, as Canada has at past ICCAT meetings, for a full retention ban without exceptions. However, given that a full ban on retention has failed to gain consensus at ICCAT for the past two years, the compromise agreement passed this year should be viewed by Canada and other ICCAT parties as a positive outcome.

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