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New Emerging Fisheries: Another chance to "get it right" in
the management of Canada's marine resources
Bruce G. HatcherBras Institute for Marine Ecosystem Research, Cape
Breton University
Anthony CharlesManagement Science / Environmental Studies, Saint
Mary's UniversityOMRN Conf.-2007
Scraping the bottom of the East coast fish barrel
• or “the arse is out of ‘er b’ys”• Capitalist inertia, poverty &/or desire for lost
ways of life leads to quest for here-to-for ignored fish ‘resources’
• What are the consequences for a trophically-challenged ocean?
• Where is the balance between ecological & economic sustainability? Between economic efficiency and equitable access?
• How can we manage these “emerging” fisheries better? (than we did those of the past)
Policy vacuumPolicy vacuum
• All fisheries were new sometime, but the big ones emerged under the (unwritten) resource grab (< 1979) or economic compensation (1992-2002) ‘policies’
• “Under-Utilized Species” were (and still are) treated by the regulating agency as a means to divert effort and assuage client demand for new access to fish
• The tenets of the Oceans Act mean that these fisheries can not be developed as in the past
New Fish Policy Evolution: variable in time & space
• Develop, for economic benefit of industries & communities at taxpayer’s expense– Poor cousin of the established fisheries in terms of
resources allocated for science & management
• Ignore, because existing fisheries are productive, or costs perceived to > benefits
• Develop, for benefit at proponent’s expense on a case-by-case basis – Use JPA’s to fund science with fish
• Permit access on a case-by-case basis according to graduated proof of sustainability
Canada’s New Emerging Fisheries Policy - 2001
• Definition is flexible, includes ‘old’ species in new grounds, new entrants & long, low effort fisheries
• Explicitly recognizes the needs for precaution and consideration of ecosystem effects
• Provides a progressive, interruptible, 3-stage process towards a commercial license:– Stage 1: find resource, demonstrate catch & market– Stage 2: assess resource, demonstrate direct &
indirect effects of fishing– Stage 3: generate sustainable exploitation, monitoring
& business plans
• Proponent pays for research & development.– JPAs allow compensation in fish until Larocque 2006
Anatomy of a New Emerging Fishery
• Species is poorly known to fisheries science, and even to biological & ecological sciences– Often low recruitment, growth & reproduction
• Distribution and abundance of resource is not quantified, time series are short or absent
• Fishing expertise is poorly developed• Market is weak, sporadic &/or distant• Research & Management expertise is weak• Funding for research is scarce• Interest & commitment is initially high, but
fickle
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Some examplesHag fish
Sea Urchin
Surf Clam
Monk fish
initiation date 1987/95 1989/93 1987/07? 1995
time to license 1y/>10y <1y/5y 2y/ 5y-No
science base No No/H-B No/Stock CPUE
ecosystm base No No No/Yes No
managmt base Effort & Gear
Effort / Area
TAC - ITQ
TAC By -catch
# of applicants 1/7 17/29 4/1 5
allocation criteria
FC-FS / Investmt
FC-FS / Capacity
FC-FS / buy outs
Inter-view
outcome (‘07) Sustaind Developg Sustaind Closed
Atlantic Surf Clam• “Discovered” by DFO researchers in 80’s• Vulnerable resource in robust habitat • Opened to 4 companies in 1986
– Fixed quota, enterprise allocations
• 1994 market issues force restructuring• No scientific basis for management until 1997
– Stock assessment & quota lowered.
• 2002 JPA signed with monopoly company• 2003(07) stock assessment doubles biomass
estimate for one area, results in science advice of 100%+ increase in quota
Canadian Science Advisory SecretariatMaritimes Region Science Advisory Report 2007/034
ASSESSMENT OF THE OCEAN QUAHOG (ARCTICA ISLANDICA) STOCKS ON SABLE BANK AND ST. MARY’S
BAY, AND THE ARCTIC SURFCLAM (MACTROMERIS POLYNYMA) STOCK ON BANQUEREAU
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Access & Allocation
• Allocation of licensed access to ‘new’ public fish resources involves vital decisions– Should be made in the public interest– Analogous to allocation of radio frequencies:
CRTC review panels
• The making of such decisions in the case of new fisheries is (and long has been) unclear in rules, variable in application and unpredictable in outcomes.– Leads to uncertainty and perceptions of inequity
• What policy elements might best use the opportunity provided by emerging fisheries?
Sustainable Development of New Fisheries
• Current use of limited resources should be in best interests of present AND future generations– Present use often DOES jeopardize future use
• Address all Four dimensions of Sustainability:– Ecological - M<PE @ BQ - requires precautionary rules
for use of populations & ecosystems – Economic - efficiency (B>C), innovation (Comptn) &
multiplier effects (societal & ecosystem $ >> fish $)– Social - equitable distribution & healthy communities– Institutional - stable legal, policy, admin. & operations
require adequate human & financial resources
Science perspectives• Population models of new fisheries are never
available and expensive to derive (guessTAC)• Monitoring initial time series of geospatial CPUE
is rarely done, but is the best investment• Fishery-independent information (R-S, legacy
data, LEK) is often available but poorly used • Limited human capacity & funding and data
delay estimates of ecologically sustainable exploitation levels
• Partnerships in research with fishery proponents are essential, but independent public investment is also (JPAs problematic)
Economic perspectivesEconomic perspectives
• Maximize Efficiency - greatest overall benefits (economic, social & ecosystem) for least cost – distribute benefits (& risks) across all dimensions
of sustainable development
• Control Capacity - just enough or somewhat less than required to achieve sustainability objectives– flexible development to avoid over-capacity
• Foster Innovation - usually linked through Competition– fully consider the effects of diversity vs. monopoly
Social PerspectivesSocial Perspectives
• Social, as well as ecological and economic considerations are part of sustainable development of emerging fisheries
• New fisheries are emerging in a transitional down-sizing and diversification of the seafood industry in Eastern Canada
• Decisions on the allocation of access to fish resources that support the self-reliance of coastal communities have high potential benefits.
Pareto-optimal solutions?
• Emerging fisheries are the acid testing ground for ecosystem-based fisheries management
• Area-based management of habitat exploitation and impacts is an appropriate & affordable alternative to population model-based management of emerging fisheries
• Legislatively mandated decision-making based on power-sharing between government agencies, the fishing sector and with other representatives of community interests will allow the broader vision of maximum combined benefit with acceptable ecological and economic cost to emerge