Capacity Building

Purpose

Canada is taking a leadership role and using its expertise to assist developing nations build their fisheries management capacity, enhance their participation in regional fisheries management organizations and, as a result, improve the functioning of these organizations. Canada’s objective in doing so is to promote increased compliance with regional fisheries management organizations and greater sustainable management.  

Capacity-building efforts are a sound investment of Canadian resources since the benefits of improved fisheries management globally will benefit Canadians as the sustainable harvest of migratory stocks will ensure the availability of resources and protect Canadian jobs.

Collaboration with developing states

In July 2009, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans developed and funded a capacity building workshop in St. Lucia on international fisheries management issues aimed at the Caribbean region. This workshop helped to identify valuable opportunities for collaboration between Canada and developing States in the Caribbean region and engage in a dialogue on the importance of meeting the obligations set by the regional fisheries management organizations. Department’s officials continue to work closely with their Caribbean counterparts.

In May 2011, Canada provided support to Senegal through the donation of 10 computers that will assist with meeting its data collection requirements under the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The analysis of the data collected will contribute to the sustainable management of highly migratory stocks shared by the Commission’s Contracting Parties, which include Canada and Senegal among others.

Canada provides expert advice

The 2010 Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism scientific meeting which took place June 9-16, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines focused on planning and conducting the stock assessments of several large pelagic species, including tunas within the jurisdiction of member states in the greater Caribbean Sea. A Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientist participated in the stock assessment work conducted at the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism and provided expert advice.

Canada shares data collection methods

At the third joint meeting of tuna regional fisheries management organizations, known as Kobe III, held in La Jolla, California in the United States from July 11-15, 2011, Canada hosted an event designed to foster an open dialogue and provide solutions to assist developing states in meeting their data collection and reporting obligations to the regional fisheries management organizations to which they are Contracting Parties. Canada's presentation was well-received, and several delegations indicated an interest in future collaboration.

Topics discussed included:

• The importance of data collection to the success of tuna regional fisheries management organizations and how it improves Parties’ credibility;
• The fundamental elements to develop a useful data collection and reporting system for tuna fisheries, using the Canadian Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery as an example;
• The links between improved data collection not only within tuna regional fisheries management organizations, but in various multilateral fora including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations General Assembly; and
• The distribution to Developing States of low-cost tools to improve their ability to collect basic data.