FISHING

A Brief History of Fishing

• Back in 1497, when John Cabot arrived on the Eastern Coast of North America there were a lot of fish!

• Since the 1400’s, Europeans have fished the banks of the Atlantic coast of Canada

• For centuries, both the inshore and offshore fishing fleet harvested a steady supply of fish for everyone

A Brief History of Fishing

• The 20th century brought increased technology and with it, a greater capacity for humans to catch, store, process, and transport fish

• Both Canadian and foreign fishers increased their fishing effort and many fish stocks in the northwest Atlantic (off Eastern Canada) became over-exploited

• Over-fishing has greatly reduced the fish stocks throughout Canada’s coastal waters

FISHING IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE!!

Types & Locations of FishCategory Description Examples

Ground Fish Fish that feed and are caught near the ocean floor.

Cod, pollock, haddock, halibut, redfish

Pelagic Fish Fish that feed and are caught near the surface.

Salmon, herring, mackerel, tuna,

Shellfish Mollusks and crustaceans.

Shrimp, lobster, oyster, scallop, mussels

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Inshore Vs. Offshore

Inshore Offshore

• Small boats with limited gear, self-employed

• Large ships with variety of gear, company owned

• 85% of fishers but just 10% of fish • 15% of fishers but 90% fish

• Day trips only, no trips during bad weather

• Out for two weeks or more at a time, in any weather

• Low income • Reasonable income

•Lobster, shrimp, clam, cod, and haddock

• Harvest cod, sole, halibut, redfish, flounder

Source: www.CraigMarlatt.com/school

Major Fishing Areas:

• Canada controls 3 major fishing areas:• 1) Coastal waters of Atlantic which is valued

most economically (i.e. Maritimes, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia)

• 2) Coastal waters of Pacific (i.e. British Columbia)

• 3) Fresh water streams, lakes and rivers of the interior

East Coast Fishing

• Highest fishing production• Grand Banks & Continental Shelf• Crisis in the 1980’s due to 5 reasons:– Over-fishing– Improved fishing technology– Uncontrolled foreign fishing– Destructive fishing practices– Changes in natural conditions

Atlantic Fishing• The Eastern coast of Canada is a valuable

source of fish• The Grand Banks is an area of shallow

water just east of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland– There are 3 reasons to fish in the Grand Banks:

– 1) Lots of fish are there– 2) Water is nutrient rich (ideal conditions)– 3) There is a lot of plankton produced, which is what fish

eat

West Coast Fishing

• Main fish caught : SALMON• Salmon – larger than East Coast catch• Fewer salmon in 1994 WHY?– 1) Over-fishing– 2) Changes in the environment– 3) Lack of salmon on fishing treaty

Pacific Fishing

• West coast fishing relies largely on the salmon species• The demand for salmon has created a large

aquaculture industry• ‘Aquaculture’ is a way of farming fish and other

valuable ocean creatures into captivity• There is hope that 15% of Canadian fish will come

from this way of producing and harvesting fish• Prices for west coast fish products are usually higher

than fish products from other places in Canada due to the demand of them from Japan and other Pacific Rim countries

Freshwater (Inland)• Fishing in bodies of freshwater found

throughout Canada • This includes:– The Great Lakes (i.e. Lake Erie)– Lake Winnipeg– Great Slave Lake– 600 other smaller lakes

Ways of Fishing:

Type of Net Description

Purse Setting Circling a school of fish with a net

Gill Netting Passing fish get caught in the net

Otter Trawling Bag-shaped net dragged along the ocean floor

Source: www.CraigMarlatt.com/school

Issues Facing Canada’s Fish Stocks :

• Atlantic Coast– Fish stocks continue to decline even

with the offshore limit in place– In the early 1990’s, Canada placed a ban on cod fishing

within its offshore limits in order to protect the fish

• Pacific Coast– In recent years, the salmon industry has become

endangered– Over-fishing is a result of competing fleets from both

Canada and the United States

Protecting Our Fisheries• Canada’s fish stock is under

severe pressure• Declaration of a ‘200-nautical

mile limit’ or ‘exclusive economic zone’ this is called the offshore limit

• The offshore limit entitles Canada to control the ocean floor and all the ocean’s resources

• Over-fishing is a threat to both Atlantic and Pacific fisheries