By Staff The Canadian Press

Atlantic herring is a hearty source of protein for people and marine mammals alike, but like a startling number of Canada’s fish stocks, the plan to rebuild the depleted herring population is currently one big question mark.

That’s a conclusion reached by advocacy group Oceana Canada, which published its second annual fisheries audit Tuesday — a report card assessing the health of Canada’s fish stocks.

The report found Canada has a lot of work to do to reverse the decline of its fish stocks, and it needs to pick up the pace.

Oceana’s science director Robert Rangeley said he hopes the audit is a “wake-up call” for better fisheries management.

“My biggest fear is one of complacency,” said Rangeley. “We’re still hovering around one-third of our fish stocks (that) are healthy, which is very poor performance for the 194 stocks that are so important for coastal communities.”

Only 34 per cent of Canada’s fish stocks are considered healthy. Twenty-nine per cent are in a critical or cautious zone, and perhaps most alarmingly, 37 per cent of stocks don’t have sufficient data to assign a health status.

Some, like Pacific herring in Haida Gwaii, slipped into the critical red zone this year.

The numbers are indicative of the slow policy implementation that plagues management of Canada’s fisheries, Rangeley said. The Oceana team expected to see more stocks move from the uncertain zone into one of the other categories this year, but in fact, the needle barely moved.

On the legislative front, the House of Commons passed revisions in June that will strengthen the Fisheries Act, including direction on rebuilding depleted stocks. If it becomes law and is supported by strong regulations, this could signal a turning point in the health of Canada’s fisheries.

Rangeley said government transparency has improved in recent years, giving his team access to the audit’s necessary data. But scientific reporting and assessment of stocks is slow and incomplete. Scientific and planning documents are often published late, or not at all.

Slow scientific publication means some stocks haven’t been assessed in years – and with the impacts of climate change affecting the ocean at a swift pace, it means some of the health assessments are becoming too outdated to plan around how to help improve the stock.
Of the 26 stocks that are assessed as critically depleted, only three have rebuilding plans in place. And even when those plans are published, the report notes that they are often based on out-of-date scientific assessments.

Atlantic Canada’s fin fish are most heavily represented among the critical stocks.
Rangeley said invertebrates like lobster and crab are more likely in good health than at-risk fin fish like cod and herring. However, rebuilding plans to bring struggling stocks back to health are notoriously slow to appear.

Perhaps the most famous example is the infamous cod moratorium in 1992 that devastated Newfoundland’s fishing communities. Twenty-six years on, there’s no plan in place to rebuild the Northern cod stock.

It’s not just an issue for the depleted stocks, said Rangeley. He recommends that a sense of urgency is applied to stocks in the cautious zone as well as the critical zone, because the more depleted they get, the harder it is to rebuild.

“It’s just a biological reality,” Rangeley said. “Knock ’em down too far for too long, the effort takes so much longer and it’s such a lost opportunity for a valuable seafood industry to just let such a waste occur.”

Striking the balance between a healthy ocean ecosystem and an economically viable, renewable food industry for small communities is not impossible, and it’s been done before, said Rangeley.

To run the fisheries right, more vigilance is required, the report said.

Some form of catch monitoring is in place for more than half of Canada’s stocks but the methods often don’t give a complete assessment of the catch, leading to big data gaps. And 159 stocks don’t have fishing mortality estimates, making it nearly impossible to set sustainable limits on the industry.
​
The report recommends investing in science and management capacity, assessing stocks regularly and developing up-to-date, well-enforced rebuilding plans.
It also highlights the importance of timely reporting, and calls for a national ‘fishery monitoring policy’ that would compel all commercial fisheries to sufficiently keep track of yearly catches.

Good planning, Rangeley said, is essential to getting Canada’s fisheries back to a healthy, sustainable level for oceans and for people.
“You can sustainably harvest seafood indefinitely if you get it right, and we’re not,” he said.

By OCEANA
​
TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The federal government is not meeting its commitments to sustainably manage and restore Canada’s fish populations, resulting in a less resilient and secure seafood industry, according to the latest report from Oceana Canada, a leading ocean advocacy organization.

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. This year’s report reveals that recent investments made in federal fisheries science capacity have not yet yielded measurable change in fisheries management or stock health, and the organization is calling on the government to deliver on its commitments.

“The government is falling behind on commitments, including the development of rebuilding plans, which threatens the long-term health of the industry,” said Dr. Robert Rangeley, Oceana Canada’s director of science. “This is a crucial time for oceans and fisheries. Rebuilding abundance in our fisheries will make them more resilient to climate change and other cumulative environmental changes, so they can continue to be a sustainable source of protein and support the livelihoods of those who rely on them.”

The report states that only 34 per cent of Canada’s fish stocks are known to be healthy. Just over 13 per cent of stocks, including the iconic Northern cod, are critically depleted, requiring immediate rebuilding actions.
​
Of the 26 critically depleted stocks, only three have rebuilding plans in place; all three plans do not include the recommended content based on global best practices, such as targets and timelines for recovery. In addition, more than 37 per cent of Canada’s most important fisheries lack adequate data to assess their status.

“It takes time for fish populations to rebuild, so stock health will change slightly each year. However, with management changes we expect to see more healthy stocks, fewer critical stocks, and fewer stocks with insufficient information,” said Rangeley. “Most importantly, we expect to see improvements in the metrics that assess how well the government is implementing policy and meeting commitments, such as completing rebuilding plans for critical stocks.”

Rangeley adds that if the federal government keeps its commitments, several fisheries management metrics would improve dramatically, including an over 40 per cent increase in the number of critically depleted stocks with rebuilding plans.

“Putting rebuilding plans in place to allow overfished stocks to recover has been proven to deliver results,” says Rangeley. “In the U.S., rebuilding plans became mandatory 20 years ago and 43 stocks have recovered generating an average of 50 per cent more revenue than when they were overfished.”

A proposed new Fisheries Act, Bill C-68, is now before the Senate. This Bill sets an expectation that stocks must be managed to healthy levels. If supported by strong regulations, it could set Canada’s fisheries on a path to abundance.

The 2018 Fishery Audit outlines key recommendations to the government that will support better management of Canada’s fisheries, including passing and implementing a new Fisheries Act, completing rebuilding plans, filling in data gaps and finalizing the Fishery Monitoring Policy.

The full report can be read online at FisheryAudit.ca.

For more information, please contact: David Berry, Pilot PMR, 416-462-0199 x248, 416-738-8730, david.berry@pilotpmr.com  
​
About Oceana Canada
Oceana Canada is an independent charity and part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Canada has the longest coastline in the world, with an ocean surface area of 7.1 million square kilometres, or 70 per cent of its landmass. Oceana Canada believes that Canada has a national and global obligation to manage our natural resources responsibly and help ensure a sustainable source of protein for the world’s growing population. Oceana Canada works with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and the federal government to return Canada’s formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada’s oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits, and protect our future.

iPolitics
By Holly Lake.

Oceana Canada has released its 2018 fishery audit, and it’s fair to say many of this country’s fish stocks are floundering.

This is the non-profit’s second annual report on the health of Canada’s fisheries, which also assessed efforts to maintain and rebuild them. It found that, in 2018, only about a third (34 per cent) of stocks can be considered healthy — slightly less than in 2017. The number of critical stocks remains the same at 13.4 per cent, while almost 16 per cent are in the “cautious” zone.

“They’re hovering on the brink of dropping down into that critical zone,” 
said Robert Rangeley, director of science at Oceana Canada.

Of Canada’s 26 critically endangered stocks — nearly all of which are in Atlantic Canada — only three have published rebuilding plans.

While there’s been some improvement, a lack of sufficient data means the status of 37 per cent of stocks remains uncertain. For 72 stocks, there wasn’t enough information to assign them a health status.

“We know the stocks in our fisheries aren’t doing well; there’s no question,” Rangeley said. “Unfortunately, it’s not a good news story.”

That said, it’s not all bad news. There’s been progress on investment that’s aiming to turn the tide.

“It’s pretty clear that DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) has put in effort over the last few years,” he said. “They’ve made significant investments in science and in transparency. They’ve committed to departmental work plans, and that’s not only transparency, it’s accountability.”

For that transparency to be fully realized, science information must be made publicly available in a timely fashion. The Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) oversees the publication of information related to the management of fisheries and oceans, but, in 2017, fewer than 10 per cent of documents that should have been released following CSAS meetings were published on time.

The report found almost half of the documents were published late: on average, 137.3 days later than CSAS policy timelines call for. More than 40 per cent of expected documents have still not been published.

“How do we manage with that lack of information?” asked Rangeley.

As part of recommendations in the environment commissioner’s 2016 fisheries audit, DFO now creates and publishes annual work plans with priorities and timelines. While these chart a clear course, the department has not met the plans’ prescribed timelines. The report found that only 25 per cent of the work-plan deliverables were completed in the past year.

“We have an unprecedented commitment with these work plans. They’re good plans, so get on with them,” Rangeley said. “When they’re completed, we’ll have more rebuilding plans.”

Fisheries monitoring also remains a real concern, including determining just how many fish are being taken out of the ocean and how many are being caught as bycatch.

Bycatch are the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species.

“If you don’t know what’s there and you don’t know what you’re taking out, the science is pretty wobbly,” Rangeley said.

Keeping track can be done through at-sea or electronic monitoring, mandatory logbooks or dockside monitoring. It’s widely acknowledged that current monitoring tools are weak and inconsistent. A fishery-monitoring policy has been drafted by DFO to address these questions and is now in public consultation. He said “it’s desperately needed” and should clarify what’s coming out of the water.

The federal government has been paying a great deal of attention to the ocean recently, including using its chairing of the G7 to create a blueprint for healthy oceans. Rangeley said Oceana Canada welcomes that, but Canada is still not following some best practices, including legally mandating the creation of rebuilding plans for critical stocks.

But if a revamp of the Fisheries Act — which is now in the Senate — passes, it will set fisheries management in this country on a course correction. Provisions in the bill direct the minister of fisheries and oceans to manage fish stocks sustainably and to put rebuilding plans in place for depleted stocks.

[READ MORE: Fisheries Act overhaul clears House of Commons]

Although it’s clear from the data that stocks are underperforming, Rangeley said there’s no reason things have to stay that way — nor should they, given that fish are an important part of the ocean ecosystem. A healthy ocean is productive, and provides a renewable source of protein for the planet. Key to keeping the ocean healthy is getting the harvest levels right. To do that, rather than manage species in isolation, we should be lessening the stress on them from climate change and pollution.

In a statement, DFO said it welcomed the fishery audit and will be reviewing its recommendations.

The department pointed to several investments that are starting to strengthen ocean protections, including its Oceans Protection Plan, which includes dozens of projects to restore lost habitat, as well as the $197 million announced in Budget 2016 for ocean and freshwater science, which is enhancing DFO’s ability to make informed, evidence-based decisions to support the sustainable management of Canada’s fisheries.

“This funding has increased our capacity to do research, monitoring and carry out state-of-the-art stock assessments,” reads the statement.

Work continues on that front to complete and update Integrated Fisheries Management Plans by developing precautionary reference points and harvest-control rules. Plans are also underway to rebuild major fish stocks in the critical zone, as well as the monitoring policy Rangeley eagerly awaits.

“The department has committed to expedite work in these areas, and will continue to make public our work plans to complete this work,” the statement said.

On the legislative front, in addition to rebuilding depleted stocks, the department says Bill C-68 is intended to promote the restoration of degraded habitat.

Rangeley said the investments are welcome, but they need to continue, along with a sense of urgency.

“We think there’s a huge opportunity to have more diverse fisheries and more value from it.
“I know there’s better science and better management that can be done to get our critical stocks on the path of rebuilding; it’s been proven in other jurisdictions. We know how to do this, the federal government knows how to do this.”
​
Investing in the ocean is justifiable, he added. “It’s just so valuable to the health of the planet. As the country with the longest coastline in the world, we’ve got to look after our bit.”

iPOLITICS
By Holly Lake. Published on Oct 19, 2018 4:28pm
​
A bill that would change how fisheries are managed in this country has splashed down in the Senate.
Introduced in February and passed by the House of Commons in June, Bill C-68 aims to restore protections that were gutted by the previous Conservative government in 2012 and incorporate new safeguards to protect fish and their habitat.

But it goes beyond restoring what was.

For the first time since the Act was enacted in 1868, the proposed legislation directs the minister of fisheries and oceans to manage fish stocks sustainably and to put rebuilding plans in place for depleted stocks.

In the upper chamber, it’s being sponsored by Independent Sen. Dan Christmas. He spoke this week of his “deep and abiding connection to the ocean and to the creatures who abound in its waters,” and made clear that he’s viewing the legislation and its proposed amendments through “independent eyes.”

“This bill is important to me; Canada’s fisheries are important to me; and as a Cape Bretoner, the ocean is important to me and, indeed, to the Mi’kmaq nation,” he said.

“As an Independent Mi’kmaq senator, I feel compelled to say that I follow no party ideology. I see this endeavour through a lens that supports improvements to law and policy that can yield benefits to the sea, its marine inhabitants and the people whose living comes from the oceans.”

The Fisheries Act is one of Canada’s oldest laws. With the proposed overhaul, fisheries management could be headed for a course correction in this country.

Before 2012, the Act protected all fish and fish habitat in Canada. That changed when the Harper government introduced omnibus legislation that did away with a prohibition against the “harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat.” The goal was to make life easier for farmers, and spare them having to navigate a sea of red tape to alter what they deemed to be insignificant bodies of water on their land.

As a result, protections were extended only to fish that were part of commercial, recreational or Indigenous fisheries.

This proposed overhaul would give Canada the kind of modern fisheries-management laws other leading fishing nations have in place.

In addition to restored protections for fish habitat and better integrated management, it includes enhanced regulation and enforcement, increased monitoring and reporting, as well as more certainty and clarity of requirements for development projects.

The proposed amendments also require the minister to consider the traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples when making certain decisions, specifically those involving fish and fish habitat. The government has included a requirement that confidential Indigenous knowledge provided to the minister must be protected, something that has long been called for.

Christmas said the bill provides a constructive framework with practical mechanisms and tools to further the cause of reconciliation, and a more collaborative relationship based on the recognition of the nation-to-nation reality. It also sets the stage for Indigenous partnering agreements.

While he supports the bill and the improvements it’s looking to deliver, he noted it’s a bit of a road to travel.
“As a proud Mi’kmaq and a friend of the late Donald Marshall Jr., who championed our nation’s right to fish, it’s with a sense of duty that I stand before you to affirm the importance of safeguarding and protecting Indigenous rights through this important legislation,” Christmas told the Senate.
​
“(The Department of Fisheries and Oceans) is by no means renowned for its sensitivity to Indigenous peoples, practices and customs. … I’ll be watching closely to see whether the aims of these provisions will manifest the improvements they promise. The relationship between First Nations and DFO cannot yet be described as healthy or robust. I’m hopeful that it can be measurably improved.”

Rhianna Schmunk · CBC News · Posted: Oct 02, 2018 1:18 AM PT | Last Updated: October 2

LNG Canada chief executive says it will move 'immediately' into construction

Construction is going ahead on a massive, $40-billion liquefied natural gas project in northern B.C., hours after five primary investors from five different countries granted their approval for the joint venture.

The LNG Canada project will see a pipeline carrying natural gas from Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. to a new processing plant on the coast in Kitimat. There, the gas would be liquefied for overseas export.

• Just the FAQs on LNG Canada

The partners came to their decision at 9:18 p.m. PT on Monday. They are:

• Royal Dutch Shell.
• Mitsubishi Corp.
• The Malaysian-owned Petronas.
• PetroChina Co.
• Korean Gas Corp.

On Tuesday, LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said the company is "immediately, today, moving into construction" on the pipeline and plant.

He said project has already obtained all the necessary approvals to break ground, including from the National Energy Board, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, BC Hydro as well as 25 First Nations.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the announcement represents the single largest private sector investment in Canadian history.

"Today is a good day," he said Tuesday.

Political, First Nations leaders reactTrudeau, B.C. Premier John Horgan and other leaders held a news conference to make the official project announcement in Vancouver on Tuesday morning.

"It's certainly a great day for northern British Columbia," Horgan said.

"I can't tell you how proud I am. I can't stop smiling."

The B.C. ministries of Finance and Energy have estimated the project would generate $22 billion in direct government revenue over the next 40 years.

The project is also expected to employ as many as 10,000 people in its construction and up to 950 in full-time jobs.

The Kitimat plant will be within the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation. Trudeau thanked that nation, as well as others in B.C., for their "leadership" in getting the project approved.

Crystal Smith, chief councillor of the Haisla Nation, was emotional at Tuesday morning's announcement.

"On behalf of our entire nation, we extend our gratitude … for the investment being made in Haisla territory," she said.

"Haisla … history is unfolding before our eyes. We are having a share and we are having our say."

Environmental factorsTo help make the project happen, Horgan's government offered a break on the carbon tax as well as an exemption on provincial sales tax related to construction costs.

According to information provided by the province, LNG Canada would be the least greenhouse gas-intensive large LNG facility in the world.

B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver was skeptical the project would mesh with the province's climate plan.

Under the NDP and Greens' Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA), the parties committed to reducing greenhouse gases by 40 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.

In a statement, Weaver called the LNG announcement a "profound disappointment," saying his party would not support the LNG legislation that would be required.
Horgan's minority NDP government is supported in the legislature by the B.C. Green Party​.

• Job creation and lingering activism: political experts weigh in on LNG tax breaks

• LNG, referendum set to dominate B.C. fall session
  ​

History of LNG in B.C.On Tuesday, Horgan acknowledged that the first discussions on LNG in B.C. began with a pitch for a plant in Prince Rupert in 1982.

He also acknowledged the previous B.C. Liberal government, specifically former minister Rich Coleman, for "tirelessly" lobbying for the project from 2011 onward.

In a Facebook post, Christy Clark, premier from 2011 to 2017 who helped lead the charge for the project, said Tuesday was "the single best day of my professional life."
"This is an achievement for our whole country," she wrote.

• Kitimat house prices starting to soar with LNG anticipation

Since her election defeat in 2017, Clark has retired from politics and joined the law firm Bennett Jones as a senior adviser in Vancouver. She has also since been appointed to the board of directors for Shaw Communications.

With files from The Canadian Press.

Written by Michael Connell on September 04, 2018. Posted in Environmental laws, Water

On August 28, 2018, Prime Minister Trudeau issued a fresh mandate letter to Canada’s new Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, who was appointed on July 18, 2018.

The minster is directed to implement and develop the Oceans Protection Plan; to achieve the government’s goal of protecting 10 per cent of its marine and coastal areas by 2020; to implement the G7 Charlevoix Blueprint for Healthy Oceans, Seas and Resilient Coastal Communities and the G7 Ocean Plastics Charter; to protect Canada’s fresh water, restore salmon stocks in the Fraser River, and to create a healthy future for Pacific salmon by  2019; and to formalize the moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia’s North Coast.

Also included in this list of top priorities is to advance Bill C-68, the reform of the Fisheries Act. Bill C-68 is currently in the Senate, where it passed first reading on June 20, 2018.

The Fisheries Act is one of the oldest pieces of federal legislation in Canada, and arguably the oldest piece of federal environmental legislation in Canada.

The mandate letter says that passage of the Bill C-68 will “restore lost protections, and incorporate modern safeguards so that fish and fish habitat are protected for future generations and so that Canada’s fisheries can continue to grow Canada’s economy and sustain coastal communities.”

The reference to “restor[ing] lost protections” is commonly understood as reversing the changes that the previous government made to the Act in 2012, specifically altering the Acts protection for fish and fish habitat in sections 32 and 35. At that time the government was heavily criticised by environmental groups for weakening the fish and fish habitat protections of the old Act.

The three iterations of these key fish and fish habitat provisions, are set out below:

Fish Habitat:

The pre-2012 definition:
S. 34(1): “fish habitat” means spawning grounds and nursery, rearing, food supply and migration areas on which fish depend directly or indirectly in order to carry out their life processes;

Post-2012 definition:
S. 2(1) “fish habitat” means spawning grounds and any other areas, including nursery, rearing, food supply and migration areas, on which fish depend directly or indirectly in order to carry out their life processes.

New Bill C-68 definition:
S. 2(1) “fish habitat”?means water frequented by fish and any other areas on which fish depend directly or indirectly to carry out their life processes, including spawning grounds and nursery, rearing, food supply and migration areas;

Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Provisions:

The pre-2012 protections:
S. 32: No person shall destroy fish by any means other than fishing except as authorized by the Minister or under regulations made by the Governor in Council under this Act.
S. 35(1) No person shall carry on any work or undertaking that results in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat.

Post-2012 protections:
S. 35(1) No person shall carry on any work, undertaking or activity that results in serious harmto fish that are part of a commercial, recreational or Aboriginal fishery, or to fish that support such a fishery.

S. 2(2) For the purposes of this Act, serious harm to fish is the death of fish or any permanent alteration to, or destruction of, fish habitat.

New Bill C-68 protections:
S. 34.4(1) No person shall carry on any work, undertaking or activity, other than fishing, that results in the death of fish.

S. 35(1) No person shall carry on any work, undertaking or activity that results in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat.

Arguably, the major change in 2012 was to overtly link the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Act to the protection of “commercial, recreational or Aboriginal fisher[ies].” This is clearly being undone by Bill C-68. In fact, the new Act includes a Purpose section that makes it clear that the powers of the Fisheries Act are for both (a) “the proper management and control of fisheries” and (b) “the conservation and protection of fish and fish habitat”. That is, the powers of the Fisheries Act are not limited to regulating and protecting fisheries, rather the Act authorizes government action to protect fish and fish habitat as a purely environmental matter.

Other interesting amendments to the Act include a new section 2.5, which lists the considerations which may influence governmental decisions under the Act. These include: the application of a precautionary approach and an ecosystem approach; the sustainability of fisheries; scientific information; traditional Indigenous knowledge; social, economic and cultural factors in the management of fisheries; and the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors.

Also of note, the new Act would explicitly permit “habitat banking”, which was described by the Minister when the Act was introduced as “an international best practice for offsetting project impacts where a freshwater or marine area is created, restored, or enhanced by working to improve fish habitat in advance of a project’s impact.” Habitat banks are areas where fish habitat has been created, restored or enhanced and then used to offset impacts to fish habitat from a future development.
​
Fisheries and Oceans Canada released a Consultation Paper titled “Approach to a key regulation under the proposed fish and fish habitat provisions of the Fisheries Act” which further explorers this concept of habitat banking, and is accepting comments from the public on the proposal until September 21, 2018.

SOURCE: ​https://bit.ly/2ALhwQZ

iPolitics
By Charlie Pinkerton

Sustaining Canada’s waters dominates the list of responsibilities for the Trudeau government’s new Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Jonathan Wilkinson.

The North Vancouver MP is also charged with driving innovation in Canada’s fishing and aquaculture economy and upgrading the Coast Guard fleet.

“With the world’s longest coastline, Canada must have a world-leading plan to protect it and marine species at risk,” says the minister’s new mandate letter.

The minster is directed to implement and develop the Oceans Protection Plan, advance Bill C-68 – the reform of the Fisheries Act, which aims to restore lost protections, to achieve the government’s goal of protecting 10 per cent of its marine and coastal areas by 2020, protect Canada’s fresh water, restore salmon stocks in the Fraser River, create a healthy future for Pacific salmon by  2019 the International Year of the Salmon and to formalize the moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia’s North Coast.

Trudeau asks Wilkinson to “include initiatives that create and sustain good middle class jobs, leverage new technologies, and ensure the long-term sustainability of Canada’s oceans economy.”

As for outfitting Canada’s Coast Guard, Wilkinson is asked to work with the Minister of Procurement to ensure Canada’s waters are safely navigable. The Coast Guard is to also maintain shipping routes, defend Canadian sovereignty and support exploration. Canada’s Coast Guard has several procurements underway in a range of different stages. The largest of these is a new $1.3 billion Polar Icebreaker, for which the government plans to award a contract in 2021. It will be built in Vancouver and will be Canada’s largest icebreaker and one of the most powerful in the world, according to the government’s plan.

Wilkinson was appointed to the position last month as part of the prime minister’s cabinet shuffle.
​
Dominic LeBlanc held the role before his move to Intergovernmental Affairs and Northern Development. LeBlanc’s move from the file came after the so-called ClamScam controversy, in which a lucrative surf clam licence was awarded to a company with ties to several Liberal MPs including LeBlanc himself. The department has cancelled the licence.

​WATERCANADA
By Katherine Balpataky

On Wednesday, the House of Commons passed a newly updated Fisheries Act that now aims to protect fish populations and safeguard fish habitat.
Bill C-68, introduced in February, is now headed to the Senate. The proposed legislation directs the minister of fisheries and oceans to manage fish stocks sustainably, restoring the protections that were lost with changes that were made in 2012.
These protections include a requirement to consider impacts on Indigenous rights and people, the ability to quickly put in place short-term measures to respond to threats to fish that may suddenly arise, and ecosystem-based management, and additional funding for enforcement.
A new public registry with information about licenses and project decisions that address the issue of transparency was also included in the Act.
Sigrid Kuehnemund, vice-president of ocean conservation for WWF-Canada, said, “Decades of unsustainable fishing practices have shrunk many marine species populations, resulting in biodiversity loss and economic loss for coastal communities. In the face of such loss, it is essential for any modern fisheries legislation to go beyond protecting existing fish habitat and to ensure the recovery and rebuilding of fish populations. If implemented and supported by strong regulations that set targets and timelines for rebuilding stocks, this act will be an important step to ensuring the long-term sustainability of fish populations and fisheries in Canada.”
Elizabeth Hendriks, vice-president of freshwater conservation for WWF-Canada noted that the modernized Act also protects the flow of water, which is key to healthy river systems and aquatic species.
“A naturally flowing river is a key feature of a healthy river, and it is a huge win for nature that this is recognized in the new proposed Fisheries Act,” saidHendriks. “When we disrupt flow by blocking it with a dam or changing runoff with nearby forestry practices, we risk disrupting the entire ecosystem, driving wildlife declines, and community impacts.”

First Session, Forty-second Parliament,
64-65-66-67 Elizabeth II, 2015-2016-2017-2018

HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA

AS PASSED
BY THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
JUNE 20, 2018​

RECOMMENDATION
Her Excellency the Governor General recommends to the House of Commons the appropriation of public revenue under the circumstances, in the manner and for the purposes set out in a measure entitled “An Act to amend the Fisheries Act and other Acts in consequence”.

SUMMARY
This enactment amends the Fisheries Act to, among other things,

(a) require that, when making a decision under that Act, the Minister shall consider any adverse effects that the decision may have on the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, include provisions respecting the consideration and protection of Indigenous knowledge of the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and authorize the making of agreements with Indigenous governing bodies to further the purpose of the Fisheries Act;

(b) add a purpose clause and considerations for decision-making under that Act;

(c) empower the Minister to establish advisory panels and to set fees, including for the provision of regulatory processes;

(d) provide measures for the protection of fish and fish habitat with respect to works, undertakings or activities that may result in the death of fish or the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat, including in ecologically significant areas, as well as measures relating to the modernization of the regulatory framework such as authorization of projects, establishment of standards and codes of practice, creation of fish habitat banks by a proponent of a project and establishment of a public registry;

(e) empower the Governor in Council to make new regulations, including regulations respecting the rebuilding of fish stocks and importation of fish;

(f) empower the Minister to make regulations for the purposes of the conservation and protection of marine biodiversity;

(g) empower the Minister to make fisheries management orders prohibiting or limiting fishing for a period of 45 days to address a threat to the proper management and control of fisheries and the conservation and protection of fish;

(h) prohibit the fishing of a cetacean with the intent to take it into captivity, unless authorized by the Minister, including when the cetacean is injured, in distress or in need of care; and

(i) update and strengthen enforcement powers, as well as establish an alternative measures agreements regime; and

(j) provide for the implementation of various measures relating to the maintenance or rebuilding of fish stocks.
​
The enactment also makes consequential amendments to other Acts.

READ MORE: http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-68/third-reading

By OCEANA Canada

TORONTO, June 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the new proposed Fisheries Act, Bill C-68, was passed by the House of Commons and will now be studied in the Senate. The Bill includes a historic change in how Canada manages our fisheries: for the first time since the Fisheries Act was enacted in 1868, this Bill would direct the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to manage fish stocks sustainably, and to put rebuilding plans in place for depleted stocks.

“The new amendments in Bill C-68 are a big step forward. If backed by strong regulations, this proposed Act could put Canada’s fisheries on a path to abundance and provide greater economic benefits to communities,” said Josh Laughren, Executive Director, Oceana Canada.

"Thanks to Minister LeBlanc’s leadership, the new provisions bring Canada closer to modern fisheries management laws in other leading fishing nations.”

While applauding the Bill, Oceana Canada noted there could still be stormy waters ahead. Bill C-68 allows the Minister to exempt stocks from rebuilding and sustainability requirements if it is deemed that there are adverse socio-economic or cultural impacts, as long as the reasons are made public. 

“We applaud the transparency of decision making,” said Laughren. “However, we must ensure that the exceptions allowed in the proposed Act are rarely made and only for good reason, when absolutely necessary. Strong regulations, providing guidance on the use of exceptions and outlining requirements for science-based targets and timelines for fisheries rebuilding, are essential for this proposed Act to succeed in restoring Canada’s fisheries.”

Oceana Canada is calling on the Senate to quickly take up consideration of the Bill, and to support the new provisions for rebuilding and sustainably managing Canada’s fisheries, for the long-term benefit of our oceans and all who rely upon them.

In the fall of 2017, Oceana Canada released the 2017 Fisheries Audit that revealed that Canadian fisheries are in trouble: only one third of stocks are considered healthy and 13 per cent are in critical condition. Research shows that successfully rebuilding fish stocks occurs in jurisdictions where rebuilding plans are mandatory for overfished stocks. Oceana Canada will continue its work to ensure rebuilding is strongly mandated in the Fisheries Act amendments.

For more information, please contact: Kara-Ann Miel, Communications Director, Oceana Canada, 647-535-6326, kmiel@oceana.ca
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About Oceana Canada
Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation.
Canada has the longest coastline in the world, with an ocean surface area of 7.1 million square kilometres, or 70 per cent of its landmass. Oceana Canada believes that Canada has a national and global obligation to manage our natural resources responsibly and help ensure a sustainable source of protein for the world’s growing population. Oceana Canada works with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and the federal government to return Canada’s formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada’s oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits, and protect our future. oceana.ca.