Restoring lost protections to fish and fish habitat

2/6/2018

By Government of Canada

Changing the Fisheries ActThe Fisheries Act gives the government authority to manage Canadian fisheries and to protect the fish and fish habitat that support them. Learn about what we’re doing to conserve our resources, improve our tools for protecting the aquatic environment and ensure the sustainability of Canada's fisheries.

On this page

Why we’re proposing changes to the ActOn November 13, 2015, the Prime Minister directed the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to:

review changes made to the Fisheries Actin 2012
restore lost protections and incorporate modern safeguards

To meet this goal, the Minister asked the House of Commons Committee on Fisheries and Oceans to:

examine the 2012 changes to the Fisheries Act
engage with Canadians

Fisheries and Oceans Canada also engaged directly with Indigenous peoples and provinces and territories.

Canadians made it clear that protecting fish and fish habitat matters to them. They’ve called for strong, fair and clear legislation that sustains the aquatic environment and protects our oceans and waters.

What needed to be fixedSome changes made to the Fisheries Act in 2012 challenged our ability to protect fish and fish habitat. Canadians, including Indigenous peoples, expressed concerns with these changes.

We looked at how to:

restore lost protections and incorporate modern safeguards
provide better certainty for industry
ensure the long-term sustainability of marine resources
make sure the Fisheries Act provides strong and meaningful protection for our fish and waters

The proposed amendments would:

restore lost protections by returning to comprehensive protection against harming all fish and fish habitat;
strengthen the role of Indigenous peoples in project reviews, monitoring and policy development;
recognize that decisions can be guided by principles of sustainability, precaution and ecosystem management;
promote restoration of degraded habitat and rebuilding of depleted fish stocks;
allow for the better management of large and small projects impacting fish and fish habitat through a new permitting framework and codes of practice;
create full transparency for projects with a public registry;
create new fisheries management tools to enhance the protection of fish and ecosystems;
strengthen the long-term protection of marine refuges for biodiversity;
help ensure that the economic benefits of fishing remain with the licence holders and their community by providing clear ability to enshrine current inshore fisheries policies into regulations; and
clarify and modernize enforcement powers to address emerging fisheries issues and to align with current provisions in other legislation.

About the review:

Consultation has been at the core of our review. The proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act were undertaken with the views of Canadians in mind.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) consulted broadly with Canadians, partners, stakeholders and Indigenous peoples. We received extensive feedback on restoring lost protections and adding modern safeguards through two rounds of online public consultation and numerous in-person meetings.

After both phases of consultation, DFO had:

2,163 Canadians registered online
5,438 completed e-workbook questionnaires
Over 170 meetings with Indigenous groups
Over 200 submissions from Indigenous peoples
Over 200 letters to the Minister

In addition to the consultation by DFO, the review by the House of Commons Committee on Fisheries and Oceans:

held 10 meetings
heard from 50 witnesses
received 188 written submissions

All of this feedback was considered when developing the proposed amendments.
Stay connectedFollow us on twitter: @DFO_MPO (Fisheries and Oceans)

Related links

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2cO4CcS

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