Question Period Note: Fish Stock Rebuilding

Fish Stock Rebuilding

Healthy fish stocks support more resilient ecosystems while improving the potential for economic returns in the long-term.

The Department is committed to rebuilding and restoring depleted fish stocks.

While fishing restrictions aimed at rebuilding fish stocks can have economic impacts during the rebuilding period, more significant impacts can result from delaying action or not taking sufficient action to promote the rebuilding of stocks.

Since 2009, the Department has required the development of formal rebuilding plans for depleted stocks on a priority basis.

If Pressed, Stocks in Critical Zone
Currently, 23 of 180 of Canada’s key harvested stocks are in need of rebuilding. Nine of these stocks have rebuilding plans in place, and another eight plans are in development.

While rebuilding plans are being developed, the Department uses the best available science to ensure that strict fishery management measures are applied and any fishing does not compromise rebuilding.

We are working towards fully implementing the Fish Stocks provisions of the Fisheries Act. These will significantly strengthen Canada’s fisheries management framework by providing new legislative tools to conserve fish stocks, promote their rebuilding when necessary, and manage fisheries sustainably.

Status of Rebuilding Plans and Critical Zone Stocks
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) annually surveys 180 key harvested stocks in its Sustainability Survey for Fisheries.
• Currently, 23 stocks of the 180 are in the Critical zone, which means these stocks are below their limit reference point (LRP), which is the point at which serious harm is occurring to the stock. Stocks in the Critical zone are considered depleted.
• Under DFO’s 2009 Precautionary Approach Policy, stocks in the Critical zone require rebuilding plans.
• DFO is working to ensure there are complete rebuilding plans for all priority stocks, in accordance with the Sustainable Fisheries Framework Work Plan that DFO publishes on its website annually. Some of this work was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Despite those delays, DFO has completed rebuilding plans for nine of the 23 stocks, and a further eight plans are under development. One of the stocks (Northern shrimp SFA 7) in the Critical zone is managed by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and is subject to moratorium and thus DFO will not be developing a rebuilding plan.
• Next year, one of the stocks (Yelloweye Rockfish – Inside population) with a rebuilding plan will likely not be listed as in the Critical zone on the Survey and will no longer require its rebuilding plan.
• For those stocks without completed rebuilding plans, DFO has specific fishery management measures in place, informed by the best available science to limit fishing and not compromise their rebuilding.

Fish Stocks Provisions
• Recent amendments to the Fisheries Act include new Fish Stocks provisions that require the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to implement management measures to maintain major stocks listed in regulation at levels necessary to promote sustainability and to develop and implement rebuilding plans for depleted major fish stocks.
• These provisions will come into effect when a regulation is finalized that prescribes the first batch of major fish stocks to be subject to the provisions. This regulation is well along in development.
• This regulation sets out the first batch of 30 major stocks to be made subject to the Fish Stocks provisions, of which 16 stocks are in the Critical zone and will require rebuilding plans. In addition, the proposed regulation sets out the required sections and timelines to develop rebuilding plans for stocks subject to the Fish Stocks provisions.

Investments for Rebuilding Plans
• To support the development of rebuilding plans, the Government of Canada invested $940,000 over four years, starting in 2017-18. This funding was provided in response to the 2016 report “Sustaining Canada’s Major Fish Stocks—Fisheries and Oceans Canada” by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
• The Government of Canada also invested an additional $107.4 million over five years, starting in 2019 and $17.6 million ongoing to support the implementation of the Fish Stocks provisions of the amended Fisheries Act. A large portion these resources are being used to increase scientific capacity for stock assessment of Canada’s fish stocks, including the development of reference points (like the limit reference point) to identify stock status and to inform the development of rebuilding plans.

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