Human activities and the rhythm of nature must work together if we are to function in a sustainable manner.
The balance between fishing and species renewal is fragile, complex and constantly changing. It requires perpetual adjustments.
Adjusting the balance
What influences the state of marine resources?
What can we do to keep nature and our consumption in balance?
Here are some answers to these questions.
What can we do to keep nature and our consumption in balance?
Here are some answers to these questions.
Information
Video length: 2 minutes and 37 seconds
Production date: 2024
Animation by: Simbioz
Credit: Exploramer, 2024
Transcription
Animated video explaining how individuals and organizations can play their part in trying to manage fishery resources responsibly.
[Music begins.]
[The title “Sound management of fishery resources” appears with a globe in the background.]
[Zoom in on the St. Lawrence and underwater view with several species in the water.]
Male voice: The St. Lawrence, source of life, food, supplies.
[Cutaway view of the surface, a fish being caught from a boat and a lobster from the shore.]
The St. Lawrence has long provided native nations with the necessary resources to survive.
[Back to the underwater view. Schools of fish are caught in nets.]
With the arrival of Europeans, commercial fisheries developed and the quantities caught increased. Resources seemed inexhaustible. Inevitably, the biomass of some species declined drastically.
[A cod fish holding a red sign with two exclamation marks appears.]
To avoid making the same mistake, it’s essential to have sound management of our resources.
In theory, it’s quite simple.
[A scale appears, with fish on one side and a fisherman on the other.]
To maintain balance in the ecosystem and be able to meet the current and future needs of our society, what is harvested must not exceed a species’ capacity to reproduce. On the one hand, there’s fishing, an economical and food source.
[The fisherman casts his rod across to the other side to catch fish.]
On the other hand, marine biodiversity, with all its richness and fragility.
Sound management of fishery resources means keeping both in balance.
In practice, it’s a little more complex. Various factors can tip the balance one way or the other.
[A bubble with a fish and arrows around it lands in the middle of the scale and bursts.]
The biology of the species, its life cycle, how quickly it reproduces;
[A bubble with three fish eating each other lands in the middle of the scale and bursts.]
Natural threats such as predation;
[A bubble with a thermometer lands in the middle of the scale and bursts.]
Climate change;
[A bubble with a $ symbol lands in the middle of the scale and bursts.]
The market – supply and demand;
[A bubble with a paper inside lands in the middle of the scale and bursts.]
Fisheries and their regulations.
[The scale wobbles.]
We all agree that theory is always easier than practice. What is certain, however, is that this is a collective effort.
[Several bubbles accumulate in the middle of the scale, one with an engineer inside, a fisherman, a building, then a kiosk.]
Engineers find new ways to improve fishing gear and its selectivity.
Fishermen adapt their practices.
Governments ensure that regulations are as fair and effective as possible, based on available knowledge.
Traders help to promote little-known species with sufficient biomass.
[View of a lady with a grocery basket and appearance of the question.]
What about us, the consumers?
[Zooming out on the map of Quebec, with consumers appearing everywhere.]
We can contribute to this great common challenge by asking for, buying and consuming these little-known and undervalued species. The pressure on other species will be reduced, and you’ll be promoting local products and know-how.
[Zoom out and back on the globe. A flipper high-fives a human hand.]
So, ready to put the flipper to the wheel?
[A realization of “Logo Exploramer”, video production “Logo Simbioz”.]
[Music stops.]
Minimize incidental catches
Sound management of marine resources means minimizing incidental catches.
Incidental catches are those species caught when they were not targeted by the fisherman.
To avoid them, regulations and innovation go hand in hand.
Restrictions on gear, mesh size and hook size, temporary closures of fishing zones and quotas are all regulations that help reduce incidental catches.
Innovation helps to improve fishing gear and its selectivity.
The right gear, used correctly, in the right zone, at the right time, will result in fewer incidental catches.
Retaining without encouraging
Incidental catches include edible species that are not highly valued but also several shark species, some of which are threatened or endangered. Responsible fishing and selective gear are essential for the proper management and protection of our resources.
If the first objective is to avoid incidental catches, the second is to not discard what has already been caught.
Even if regulations and types of gear succeed in limiting incidental catches, or in some cases avoiding them altogether, they are not always infallible.
What happens to these catches?
Depending on fishing regulations and licences, some catches are brought back to the wharf, whereas others are returned to the water. But once out of the water, fish rarely live long. What’s more, certain types of gear limit their survival; in gillnets, for example, fish die of asphyxiation.
In the case of incidental catches, even if these species were not among those initially targeted, could they not still be used for our own consumption?
Enhancing the value of these catches by marketing them could prevent their needless death, as well as increasing the diversification of the fishing industry and the species offered on the market.
How can we value without encouraging?
In an ideal world, these incidental catches would be 100% preventable. Realistically, they do exist and remain difficult to control. Everyone’s ethics are called upon not to encourage them. But if there are incidental catches, we must be careful to use them wisely.
The role of humans
Over the years, the halieutic industry has faced a number of challenges.
To overcome these challenges and achieve a more responsible practice, certain rules and laws have been put in place and are continually revised.
Here is a short historical tour to help you understand how Quebec’s commercial fisheries are regulated.
The 1950s
Humans become aware that marine resources are not inexhaustible.
This period saw the beginning of fisheries management measures. In 1973, for the first time, commercial fishing quotas were imposed by the federal government.
Today, there are two ways of regulating the fishing industry.
Quotas: the quantity of each species fished is limited by a Total Allowable Catch (TAC).
Fishing can be managed competitively, meaning that all fishermen have the same access to the resource at the same time. As soon as the global quota is reached, fishing is closed for everyone.
Fishing can also be managed with individual quotas. In this case, each fisherman is given a clearly defined and guaranteed share of the resource. The latter option offers greater flexibility, as everyone can choose the best time to go fishing.
Fishing can also be managed with individual quotas. In this case, each fisherman is given a clearly defined and guaranteed share of the resource. The latter option offers greater flexibility, as everyone can choose the best time to go fishing.
Controlling the fishing effort: Aspects other than the quantity of species are regulated.
These may include
- The number of licences per species;
- The number and size of boats and gear;
- The season and/or number of fishing days;
- The minimum and/or maximum size of the species.
1977
Other countries, with a few exceptions, are no longer allowed to fish in the estuary or Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Since this ban, Canadian waters have been divided into several fishing zones by DFO and NAFO. The latter intervenes when several countries fish in the same population. Yes, fish swim, migrate and move across different territories. So, countries must work together.
In the St. Lawrence, the division of zones differs according to species. Each zone has its own rules (season, quota, number of licences, etc.). As a result, the number of fishermen per zone can be controlled and overexploitation avoided.
To each their own zone, and the fish will be well protected. Here is an example of how snow crab fishing zones have been divided up in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Source: DFO, 2023
Source: DFO, 2023
Europeans at the table
The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) is a fisheries management organization founded in Canada in 1979, whose members include Canada, the United States, Denmark and France.
But what do Denmark and France have to do with the northwest Atlantic? Well, this region includes Greenland, a Danish crown territory, and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French archipelago. That is why these European countries are involved in managing this part of the ocean.
1985
Implementation of the Fisheries Act.
This law was introduced to ensure the proper management of fisheries and to conserve and protect fish and fish habitat. The setting of regulations and quotas must therefore respect the notions laid down in the law.
Four principles are followed, in order of importance, when fixing a TAC:
- The conservation of the species;
- Indigenous rights, whether ancestral or treaty-based;
- Legally binding agreements, including international agreements;
- Orderly management.
1992
The government decrees the first moratorium on the fishing of cod and other bottom fish.
It was the tragic end of a centuries-old activity and affected some 35,000 fishermen and plant workers. This wound, which remains open, is a reminder of the importance of regulation.
From now on, a precautionary approach is now advised. To find the best compromise between conservation and socio-economic realities, several experts are involved in the decision-making process: scientists, fishermen, politicians and consultants.
Beyond our own efforts, external factors independent of human control can also influence the biomass of the resource, making decision-making even more complex.
Seemingly simple, the process of determining quotas leads to a difficult decision that rarely satisfies everyone.
Source: DFO, 2023
Source: DFO, 2023
Detailed alternative text
Illustration of a cycle. Seasons are represented by icons :
- Top: Autumn
- Right: Winter
- Bottom: Spring
- Left: Summer
Successive stages between fishing season (Autumn) and ministerial approval (Spring): post-season review, records and post-season records, stock assessment, scientific review, stock status report, advisory processes, recommendations.
Stages of ministerial approval of the fishing season: Communication of decisions, development of fishing plans, distribution of management plans, monitoring services, definition of licence conditions, opening, compliance
Inside the cycle: Constitution Act of 1982, Indigenous rights, fishing laws and regulations, case law with Sparrow, Marshall and Taku-Haïda/Mikisew.
1999
The ancestral rights of the Mi’gmaq, Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkati are recognized in the Marshall case.
In 1993, Donald Marshall Jr., a Mi’gmaq from Nova Scotia, fished without a licence, outside the official season, with non-compliant gear. He sold the catch, 210 kg of eels, without complying with the Fisheries Act. He was found guilty by the Court of Appeal.
In 1999, the Supreme Court overturned these convictions under the Peace and Friendship Treaties of 1760–1761, which authorized Indigenous communities to “barter” (or sell) their catch to support themselves.
As a result, Indigenous communities were granted fishing rights and licences:
Fishing rights for a decent livelihood
- What has been caught by a community can be sold to provide for its needs.
- Discussions have been taking place for several years to define the term “suitable.”
- This right translates into, among other things, easier access to commercial licences, boats and fishing gear.
Community fishing licences
- For a community.
- For food, social or ritual purposes.
- Can be allowed when the community needs it, even outside the fishing season.
- Redistribution within the community; cannot be sold.
Furthermore, Indigenous fishermen, in the same way and under the same regulations as non-Indigenous fishermen, can also obtain commercial fishing licences. These are reserved for professional fishermen and specify the fishing conditions for the species listed on the permit.
In 2021, Indigenous fisheries in Quebec accounted for 15% of the total catch. The Mi’gmaq community fished mainly Northern shrimp and snow crab. The Innu fished snow crab and lobster. The Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation fished Northern shrimp, sea cucumber and sea urchins.
Source: DFO, 2021
Source: DFO, 2021
Detailed alternative text
Left side chart: 2709 non-Indigenous licence holders, 100 Indigenous licence holders.
Chart on the right shows the distribution of Indigenous fishing among Mi’gmaq, Innu and Wolastoqey:
- Mi’gmaq: 52%, illustrations of a snow crab and a northern shrimp;
- Innu: 35%, illustrations of a lobster and a snow crab;
- Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk: 13%, illustrations of a sea cucumber, a northern shrimp and a green sea urchin.
Other licences, available to all, also exist, depending on the type of fishing:
- Recreational or sport fishing licences, i.e. non-professional;
- Commercial or subsistence seal hunting licences;
- Scientific or exploratory fishing licences to capture scientific samples or evaluate the fishing potential of a new species.
2003
The Species at Risk Act (SARA) is passed as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The aim of this law is to protect endangered species from extinction. Furthermore, COSEWIC has been issuing species assessments since 1978 and can assign species a status: special concern, threatened or endangered.
When a species is listed under the Species at Risk Act, such as the North Atlantic right whale, protection measures are put in place. COSEWIC status can also influence fisheries regulations.
Since 2018, precautionary measures have been put in place to avoid net/gear entanglement and boat collisions with North Atlantic right whales: zone closures, recovery of ghost fishing gear, research to adapt traps and their ropes, etc.
Credit: Guylaine Marchand, photo taken near Bonaventure Island in 2020.
Credit: Guylaine Marchand, photo taken near Bonaventure Island in 2020.
2023
Early-season lobster catches reach record levels.
In recent years, lobster fishermen have taken matters into their own hands to ensure the sustainability and profitability of their activity: gradually increasing the minimum size of lobster caught, reducing the number of licences, tagging large spawners to return them to the water, and so on.
Today, their efforts are paying off.
2024
The biomass of several species collapses. Some fisheries are reduced or closed.
In 2024, a number of challenges for the fishing industry became reality: warming waters, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels in the St. Lawrence…
In these conditions, some species lose out, others benefit.
To ensure the sustainability of fishing and biodiversity, we need to adapt to these realities, adjust our fishing and practices to new species, and modify our consumer habits to match these changes.
The world of fishing is filled with important events that allow us to adjust. Let’s learn from our mistakes, surf on our successes and always strive to improve our resource management.
To honour a species, it is best to use it to its full potential. As well as eating them, do you know the many possibilities offered by fish, seals, algae and shellfish?
