Canada and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas – An Interview with Dr. John Neilson, Scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada

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Narrator: The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, or ICCAT, holds its annual general meeting each November. Ahead of the 2011 meeting, we spoke with Dr. John Neilson, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to learn about Canada’s role to improve science within regional fisheries management organizations.

Dr. Neilson, how would you describe the role of ICCAT in managing global fish stocks?

Dr. John Neilson, Scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada: We do need some form of body to deal with fishing issues and allocation of these highly migratory fish stocks.

As signatories to ICCAT we are very careful to have our fisheries work within the allowable catches which are given to our country. So we en sure that our fisheries do not overrun tho se quotas and if in any year they are we have a pay back system as do all countries which are signatories to ICCAT.

So that’s why I think ICCAT serves a very important role.

Narrator: What is Canada’s role within ICCAT?

Dr. Neilson: Canada’s role is one of some 48 countries which are signatories to ICCAT but Canada was one of the very first members of ICCAT and plays a leadership role in terms of committee structures within ICCAT. On the scientific level I contribute extensively to the workings of SCRS, which is the standing committee on research and statistics, I chair the working group on swordfish for example and as such, I am also an officer of the scientific body. Beyond my involvement, other members of the Canadian delegation serve on the organization’s body which deals with administration and financing and in fact we chair that component as well.

Narrator: Canada has long advocated the need for complete and accurate scientific information, as it plays a crucial part in the decision making process. What kind of scientific work has Canada initiated?

Dr. Neilson: We have been very active in doing studies of satellite archival tagging for both species. By that I mean we affix satellite archival tags to swordfish and bluefin tuna to study the movements of these fish throughout the Atlantic area and this gives us an idea of the extent of stock mixing which is a very important issue for the management of these resources.

Narrator: Can you give us an example of a success story within ICCAT?  

Dr. Neilson: I think one of the concrete results which we have seen has been the rebuilding of Atlantic swordfish. And really that is something I think this is something we can be proud of from an ICCAT perspective and also from a Canadian perspective because Canadian fishermen gave up something to build up the biomass of that resource so it is now considered to be recovered against ICCAT standards.

Narrator: For more information on Canada’s role in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, go to www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/tuna

This has been an original video podcast presented by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.