Sustainable Development Strategy – 2001-2003

Emerging Issues

• In developing the proposed Action Plan to implement the second Sustainable Development Strategy, we have tried to be selective and to focus on areas where DFO can be most effective at this moment. However, the evolving environment in which DFO delivers its mandate requires continual consideration of emerging issues.
• The highly vulnerable geography of Canada's Arctic has been experiencing growing pressures due to climate change, contaminated sites, persistent organic pollutants and economic development based on non-renewable resource industries, such as diamond mining and oil and gas extraction, increased recreational boating or commercial shipping and ecotourism. We need to apply greater effort to develop solutions. Ignoring current trends could increasingly put at risk human health, economic activity and the social and cultural traditions of the North. New knowledge will be required to address these issues, in particular of the existing or potential impacts on aquatic resources in the North. DFO's mandate for fisheries and oceans management, for environmental and fish habitat protection and for safe shipping gives rise to the need for new scientific research, to amass evidence and to develop plans of action.
• The unintended introduction into Canada's marine and freshwater systems of exotic plant and animal species via vessel ballast water discharges (e.g., zebra mussels and ruffe) is increasingly a concern, which demands further action by DFO and its provincial counterparts. There is a growing need for DFO to work with other Departments to better understand the nature of ballast discharge and the consequences of these introductions and to take regulatory action and leadership to address the problem. Similar concerns are associated with dumping of unwanted aquarium fish and aquarium plants (e.g., fanwort, Asian water millfoil).
• Another emerging issue is the need to better understand and map Canada's submerged lands and ecosystems, both along our coasts and in inland areas, such as the Great Lakes. The use of new technologies, like multibeam sonar and laser mapping system, electronic imaging would allow a better understanding of the bathymetry, geology, habitat and biological ecosystems of Canada's underwater physical environment. Such technologies exist now and have been used in a limited way in Canada. The results, however, clearly indicate the immense potential sustainable development benefits for fisheries management, for research, for resource exploration, for safe shipping and communications, and for suggesting solutions to possible conflicts of use. Developing plans to support use of the new technologies will help to establish the basic infrastructure and processes to implement integrated oceans management in accordance with the Oceans Act. This is a long term undertaking, of very broad scope and will involve significant collaboration with other partners, especially Natural Resources Canada and the Department of National Defence, as well as commercial users (oil and gas, fishing, cable companies), the marine services industry, university researchers, non-governmental organizations and provincial and territorial governments
• Recent years have witnessed a substantial growth in the volume and significance of litigation as Natives seek greater access to natural resources. At the federal level, fisheries have been one of the main targets of litigation efforts. In September 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada, in R. v. Marshall, affirmed a 250-year-old treaty right of Mi'kmaq and Maliseet groups to fish, hunt and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood. In late 1999, DFO launched Phase 1 of its response to the Marshall decision, designed to provide increased access to commercial fisheries during the 2000-fishing season. This was the first step towards increased Aboriginal access in the fishery, and more needs to be done to implement the Supreme Court decision. Consistent with established practice under the more modest Aboriginal Fishery Strategy, an important part of the Marshall response is to provide opportunities to new Aboriginal participants to receive training in a variety of fishing related skills, including sustainable fishing techniques. As First Nations become more involved in commercial fisheries, their role in co-operative management of the fishery will become increasingly important. Building on steps taken to date, DFO is working with Aboriginal groups and existing commercial fishing interest to enable them to assume a greater role in fisheries management.