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Indigenous Fishery Monitoring Fund

Notice: Application period closed

Please note that the Indigenous Fishery Monitoring Fund is now closed for applications. It is anticipated that all remaining funding will be allocated during this round. As a result, it is unlikely that the fund will reopen.

The Indigenous Fishery Monitoring Fund is now open to eligible Indigenous peoples, communities and organizations interested in contributing to implementation of the Fishery Monitoring Policy (FMP), and advancing their capacity in fisheries management, monitoring and catch reporting.

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About the fund

The $5-million Indigenous Fishery Monitoring Fund will provide funds over five years through single and multi-year contribution agreements.Footnote 1 It is intended to:

Round 1 of the Indigenous Fishery Monitoring Fund was a success, with 14 single- and multi-year projects awarded funding. We extend our sincere thanks to all applicants and look forward to the valuable contributions these initiatives will bring to Indigenous fisheries monitoring. 

Due to the high interest and large number of successful multi-year applications received during Round 1, remaining funds are limited:

Consequently, priority will be given to single-year projects that aim to strengthen or enhance existing catch monitoring initiatives or conduct short-term pilot projects that advance the Fishery Monitoring Policy objective of reliable, timely and accessible information of fishing activities and catch.

It is anticipated that all remaining funding will be allocated during this round of applications. It is therefore unlikely that another application period will take place in future fiscal years.  

Note: As this fund supports the implementation of the Fishery Monitoring Policy, only projects directly related to the monitoring of fishing activities and catch are eligible. This includes field and/or desktop activities that collect information on a fishery and its catches, such as:

Fishery monitoring, in this context, is distinct from scientific surveys that are independent of the fishery. Therefore, scientific or environmental projects, such as stock health assessments, are not eligible for this fund.

Who can apply

The Indigenous Fishery Monitoring Fund is open to:

  1. Indigenous:
    • Communities
    • Bands
    • Chiefs' Councils
    • Tribal Councils
    • Fishing authorities
    • Boards
    • Organizations
    • Associations
    • Commissions
    • Corporations
    • Cooperatives
    • Aggregates

    Applicants must be responsible for managing fish harvesting and related monitoring activities, including:

    • Food, social and ceremonial (FSC) or subsistence fisheries
    • Indigenous owned and operated commercial or communal commercial fishing enterprises
    • Other economic fishing opportunities
  2. Indigenous-led partnerships, joint ventures or other service providers mandated to work with or on behalf of Indigenous communities or organizations in fish harvesting and related monitoring, including:
    • Partnerships between Indigenous communities or organizations
    • Academic and/or research organizations hired by an Indigenous community or organization
    • Technology and/or fishery monitoring related service provider hired by an Indigenous community or organization

How to apply

Eligible Indigenous persons or groups interested in applying may do so by completing the application form and sending it to dfo.ncrfrmifmf-fspagrhrcn.mpo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca. The application includes the following elements:

The application period will be open from June 16, 2025, to July 18, 2025.

If you would like to discuss the eligibility of your proposed project, or any other questions regarding the application process, please contact the FMP Secretariat at dfo.ncrfrmifmf-fspagrhrcn.mpo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

It is important to note that annual funding through this initiative is very limited and will not be sufficient to support all applications received.

Deadlines

The application period will be open from June 16, 2025, to July 18, 2025.

Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for more information or contact dfo.ncrfrmifmf-fspagrhrcn.mpo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca with any questions you may have about the Fund or the application process.

Application review and approval process

Applications will initially be screened for completeness. It is the applicants' responsibility to ensure that they provide all required information. If information is missing or incomplete, we may provide applicants with an opportunity to resubmit their application if time allows.

Applications that are retained for further consideration will then be evaluated based on several criteria including, but not limited to:

  1. Degree to which the project supports capacity building of Indigenous peoples, groups and communities in fishery monitoring
  2. Degree to which the project enables the participation of Indigenous peoples, groups and communities in Fishery Monitoring Policy Implementation
  3. Degree to which the project contributes to the implementation of the Fishery Monitoring Policy
  4. Project feasibility
  5. Quality of the budget and financial plan
  6. Regional considerations
  7. Degree to which the project uses innovative tools, methods, or processes in fishery monitoring.

We will notify applicants as soon as possible if their project has been approved or denied.

All applicants, successful or not, will be advised in writing of the decision. Review, approval and notification times may vary depending on the number and complexity of applications received.

Preparing a contribution agreement

Shortly after you receive notification of approval, a program representative will reach out to you to start developing a contribution agreement, drawing on the information provided in your application. To facilitate this process and avoid delays, please provide as much information as possible in your application, including details on planned work activities, deliverables and expenditures.

Further information on agreement drafting, administration and reporting will be shared at that time.

The policy

The Fishery Monitoring Policy sets the direction of how all federally managed wild capture fisheries and marine mammal harvests will be monitored to provide dependable, timely, and accessible information crucial to sustainable fisheries management.

The policy recognizes that Indigenous groups, harvesters, and other resource-related personnel already carry out fishery monitoring activities. The Indigenous Fishery Monitoring Fund will enable these and other Indigenous groups and experts to collaborate with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in sharing of best practices, fishery monitoring data and as appropriate, Indigenous knowledge, to:

Tools and methods used to monitor fisheries

Fishery monitoring tools and methods include data collection at-sea and dockside that is undertaken by fish harvesters as well as fisher-independent persons and technology. For example, logbooks and creel surveys are completed by harvesters, while vessel monitoring systems, aerial gear counts, and port sampling are done by others.

Why fishery monitoring is important

Fishery monitoring informs sustainable fisheries management by providing accurate information on fishing activities, such as:

The policy consists of a six-step implementation process to establish or affirm the monitoring requirements of each fish stock and/or population. While the implementation process will eventually be applied to all federally regulated fish stocks, an initial listFootnote 2 were prioritized by DFO due to known data issues or ecological importance. These include:

Contact information

dfo.ncrfrmifmf-fspagrhrcn.mpo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Technical research papers:

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