Planning

Management plans guide economically viable and environmentally sustainable fisheries.

For wild capture fisheries, a management plan includes important considerations for all aspects of the fishery. It outlines the biology and status of the fish stock, the total amount of fish that can be caught to keep the stock healthy and viable, and the share of the total catch that can be caught by license holders or the fishing fleet. It also sets out the rules for the fishery, such as when and where the fishing season can take place and what types of gear can be used. It establishes the objectives for the fishery and the management and enforcement approaches to be employed.

Canada’s fisheries management plans consider the impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem involved. Fish stocks are managed in a variety of ways: by allocating quotas to entire fishing fleets, which then fish competitively or give specific percentages of the quota to individuals or businesses in the form of Individual Quotas (IQs), Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) or Enterprise Allocations (EAs). Other fisheries are more appropriately managed by other means such as controlling effort (restricting the number of fishing licences, the type of gear each harvester can set out, and the length of the season), escapement (how much fish ‘escape’ the harvest and return to spawn) or by-catch (other aquatic species incidentally caught in the harvest).

Management plans in Canada are developed in collaboration with those involved in a particular fishery. Resource users and other interested stakeholders may include: harvesters, fish farmers, First Nations and other Aboriginal groups, seafood processors, recreational fishers and boaters, provincial and territorial governments, and environmental groups. Management plans are the primary tool DFO uses to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources – they integrate all the factors that lead to good decision-making.  The process for developing a management plan begins with a post-season review of the previous year’s fishery whereby issues and priorities are identified. Stakeholders are broadly consulted on ways to address these issues in keeping with the short-term and long-term objectives forthe fishery. The plan is developed based on this information, along with scientific advice.

More Information:

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Fisheries Management Decisions