Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) recognizes that fisheries, oceans, aquatic habitat and marine waterways are of great social, cultural, spiritual and economic importance to many Indigenous peoples. Working with Indigenous peoples as they increase their capacity to monitor fisheries is key to providing dependable, timely, and accessible information for sustainable fisheries management.
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, met with the Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Honourable Kent Smith, to discuss mutual interests in protecting the local economies of coastal communities, and ensuring our fisheries are sustainable for years to come.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing poses a significant risk to global fish stocks in the North Pacific Ocean, and is considered to be a potential driver of Pacific salmon declines.
A Powell River lake-based aquaculture site that cultivates rainbow trout has been fined following a lengthy investigation conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
Reconciliation and joint management are essential in the effort to restore salmon populations and create sustainable fisheries. The Government of Canada and the Ahousaht, Ehattesaht/Chinekint, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Tla-o-qui-aht Nations (the five Nations) are committed to working together to advance collaborative governance processes for fisheries resources.
Atlantic halibut is found in waters from east of Newfoundland to the northeastern United States. Most of the stock is found in Canadian fisheries waters, with a small percentage of the stock also found within the French Maritime Zone off the coast of St. Pierre and Miquelon
In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered the Marshall decisions, which affirmed that the 34 Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqey Nations in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and the Gaspé region of Quebec have a treaty right to fish, hunt, and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood. This right stems from the Peace and Friendship Treaties of 1760 and 1761. In 2017, the Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik was also identified as a Nation implicated by the Marshall decisions.
Nature is a key part of Canada’s national identity. The health of our aquatic environment and the wildlife within it supports our culture, well-being and the economy in Newfoundland and Labrador and across Canada. Yet some of the species that find their home in the waters, rivers, lakes, estuaries, and marshes throughout Newfoundland and Labrador are at risk and need help to survive. We must continue to take action to protect them.
The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), on behalf of the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, will hold a press conference to announce major funding to protect aquatic species at risk.
