Report | November, 2019

Fishery Audit 2019

 

Oceana Canada’s annual Fishery Audit reports on the state of fish stocks and tracks progress on how well the government is meeting its policy and management commitments.

Fishery Audit 2019 shows that DFO has not implemented many proven tools needed to rebuild depleted fish populations. For example:

• The health of 38.1 per cent of Canada’s fish populations cannot be determined due to a lack of government information, making it impossible to manage them effectively;

• Only 18.2 per cent of Canada’s depleted fish populations have plans in place to rebuild them to healthy levels;

• Fewer than half of DFO’s stated priorities were achieved in 2019 (up from only 25 per cent in 2018); and

• In 2019, DFO increased the quota for the critically depleted northern cod, ignoring scientific advice and its own policy to keep all sources of fishing mortality on depleted stocks to the lowest possible level. This approach neglects the potential that sustainably managing the population could unlock. If rebuilt, it could support 16 times more jobs and provide five times more economic value.

For more information about Oceana Canada’s findings, visit FisheryAudit.ca.

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