Wild caught fish are an important protein source for much of the world, with global fisheries also providing significant social and economic benefits to coastal communities.

Canada’s three oceans and ~2 million inland lakes have provided us with access to an abundance of fisheries resources. Canada is one of the top 10 seafood exporting nations in the world. Wild capture fisheries landings represent over $3 billion CDN, and employ over 40,000 people in fisheries, primarily in our coastal provinces and territories.²

Canada’s track record of fisheries management is not without failures. Some significant mistakes in fisheries management, such as the collapse—and overall failure to recover—of the Northern Atlantic cod stocks, has resulted in extreme costs to both the resource and coastal communities.

The government’s own analysis of all Canadian fish stocks showed that while 49 per cent of fish stocks were considered healthy, 39 per cent were not. Information was lacking to assess 19 per cent of all stocks. However, an independent analysis revealed less than 25 per cent of our fish stocks are now considered healthy, and the status of 45 per cent of our fish stocks is not known. Both analyses, as well as that conducted by the Auditor General of Canada identify the need to improve several of our wild fish populations.

Safeguarding wild fish populations and their complex ecosystems will require responsible management now, to ensure sustainable harvesting in the future.

How and What We Catch Matters

Fisheries not only affect the species targeted, but can also impact other species through bycatch and habitat damage, and can indirectly alter complex food webs by removing prey and predators. The targeted species, catch numbers, gear type and region fished all play a role in the impacts a fishery has on the ecosystem.

Along the same lines, effective government policy and regulations, science and research, and ecosystem-based management and precautionary practices are key components in managing the environmental risks of wild capture fisheries.

Sustainability Considerations for Wild Seafood

Where management is not adequate, wild-capture fisheries can cause ecological issues like overfishing, bycatch (catching animals not being targeted), and habitat impacts. Fortunately, proper fisheries management can largely address each of these issues.