Question Period Note: Fish Stock Rebuilding

• It is important to protect fish populations to support strong ecosystems and maintain long term economic benefits.
• The Fish Stocks Provisions in the Fisheries Act require rebuilding plans for all depleted fish stocks that are prescribed by regulation.
• Our Government is committed to accomplishing this work. That is why Budget 2024 announced $33 million over the next five years to support sustainable fisheries.

Status of Rebuilding Plans and Critical Zone Stocks
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) annually surveys 195 key harvested stocks in its Sustainability Survey for Fisheries.
• 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 annually on its website.

Fish Stocks Provisions
• Amendments made to the Fisheries Act in 2019 include the Fish Stocks Provisions that require the Minister 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 came into effect on April 4, 2022, when amendments to the Fishery (General) Regulations (FGR) were finalized and which prescribed the first batch of 30 major fish stocks to be subject to the provisions.
• The FGR set out the required contents of rebuilding plans (e.g., stock status and trends, probable causes for the stock’s decline, and measurable objectives aimed at rebuilding the stock) as well as timelines to develop rebuilding plans for stocks subject to the Fish Stocks Provisions.
• The Department had a regulatory obligation to complete rebuilding plans for 12 of these prescribed stocks by April 3, 2024. Rebuilding plan extensions of up to 12 additional months can be requested under section 70(3) of the FGR. Extensions are subject to Ministerial approval and if granted, the Department must publish on its website the reasons why an extension was granted.
• DFO is currently working on a second batch of proposed major fish stocks to be prescribed under 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 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 of these resources is being used to increase scientific capacity for stock assessment of Canada’s fish stocks, including the development of reference points (such as the limit reference point, for example) to identify stock status and to inform the development of rebuilding plans.
• Budget 2024 announced $33 million for DFO to support fish stock assessments and rebuild depleted fish stocks in support of Fisheries Act requirements.

If pressed
• My department applies strict fishery management measures informed by the best available science.
• While fishing restrictions aimed at rebuilding fish stocks can have shorter-term economic impacts during the rebuilding period, delaying or not taking sufficient action to promote stock rebuilding can have more negative longer-term impacts.
• My department will continue to work to develop rebuilding plans when required to ensure our fish stocks are sustainable now and in the future.