Project 1.1 – Enhanced fisheries knowledge for an evolving management regime

Canada’s fisheries face the challenges of moving to an ‘ecosystem approach’ to management (EAM), market pressure for certification of sustainability, an evolving set of policies related to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO’s) Sustainable Fisheries Framework, and a growing need to include harvesters in the management decision-making process and in a shared stewardship responsibility. Fisheries also need to be considered together with other activities in the marine environment in more holistic ‘integrated management’ (IM) approaches. This project has assembled a diverse team that includes academics from natural and several social science disciplines, a cross-section of the fishing industry, and representatives of government science, policy and management sectors to study the emerging framework for sustainability in Canada’s fisheries.

Research will focus on three areas:

Emerging requirements for sustainability: We are working to a) anticipate from Canadian policy documents and articulate a common, practical view of criteria for a sustainable fishery system including ecological, social, economic and institutional aspects; b) identify information needs for measuring the performance of a fishery so as to be able to complete a ‘report card’ on sustainability; and c) test that report card on various fishery case studies.
Enhanced knowledge: We will review the current information being provided for assessment and management in Canadian fisheries, combine this with the information needs identified in objective #1 (in a gap analysis), and look at the capacities of industry, government and academia to provide the information required to fill those gaps in the future.
Enhanced participation in collaborative management: We will identify major training and capacity-building needs of participatory management.

This research will 1) help identify the knowledge requirements of the emerging EAM and IM approaches that will place more emphasis on a broader view of sustainability; 2) prepare Canadian fisheries to be more sustainable; and 3) prepare stakeholders to participate effectively in the emerging fisheries management regimes.

Project Leader Contact Information

Robert Stephenson
University of New Brunswick
[email protected]

Project Team

Andrea Haas - University of British Columbia graduate student (2012-present)
Ashleen Benson - University of New Brunswick research associate (2013-present)
Barb Neis - Memorial University of Newfoundland
Christian Brun - Maritime Fishermen's Union
Courtenay Parlee - University of New Brunswick graduate student (2011-present)
Dan Edwards - United Fishermen and Allied Workers’ Union (UFAWU)
Dan Lane - University of Ottawa
Dan Mombourquette - Saint Mary's University graduate student
Dave Gillis - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa (Director General of Ecosystem Science)
David Decker - Fish, Food and Allied Workers
Eric Angel - Simon Fraser University graduate student (2011-present)
Evelyn Pinkerton - Simon Fraser University
John Sutcliffe - Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters (CCPFH)
Lindsay Jennings - University of British Columbia
Marc Allain - Canadian Fisheries Research Network
Marc Clemens - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa (Fisheries and Aboriginal Policy)
Melanie Wiber - University of New Brunswick
Omer Chouinard - Université de Moncton
Paul Foley - Memorial University of Newfoundland post-doctoral fellow (2012-present)
Rachel Long - Saint Mary's University graduate student (2011-2012)
Rashid Sumaila - University of British Columbia
Ratana Chuenpagdee - Memorial University of Newfoundland
Robin Messenger - University of New Brunswick
Sharmane Allen - Memorial University of Newfoundland graduate student (2012-present)
Stacey Paul - Canadian Fisheries Research Network / Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews Biological Station (Science)
Stefan Leslie - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth (Resource Management)
Tony Charles - Saint Mary's University