Coast Fishery and the West Coast Salmon Fishery
Introduction
History has it that the East Coast also known as Northern cod was one of the largest fish hubs in the Northwest Atlantic. The term East Coast Fisheries, arose from the sailors who had found the fishing grounds on the Eastern Coast of Canada. The entire communities greatly relied on fishing for their daily activities (Shield 22). No one ever imagined that the fishing industry would near extinction. Canadians and foreigners who had found great resources, generated a lot of revenue from the exercise, and this led to overfishing. Although Shield (23) believes overfishing was the reason to the collapse of East Coast Fishery, socio-economic and political factors contributed to the collapse.
Background
After 500 years of operation, the fishing grounds were running out of stock. The main causes of fish extinction being the high mortality rates on fish and overfishing. It saw the need for the closure of fishery industry by the Canadian government in 1992. The economic impact of the closure was massive and led to loss of jobs. However, the government was quick to point out policy loopholes and ignorance of fisheries management programs as the main cause of the collapse. The collapse led to the realization that if proper structures and system are not put into place, a situation like this could occur anywhere in the world. Why then did the East Coast Fishery collapse?
During the early 1950’s there was rapid developments in the world of technology that saw the manufacture of better fishing vessels that could withstand tough weather conditions. In view of this, fishermen came from as far as Cuba, the Soviet and Poland. The result of this was massive overfishing on the East Coast and most countries exploited structural loopholes to actually overlook the ecological implications of overfishing.
Collapse of the East Coast Fishery
According to Sinclair (43), the then Canadian fisheries minister banned fishing on both the east coast and the west coast. The aftermath of the ban was that there was a collapse of almost an entire cod and ground fish resource in the Atlantic. However, the ban was slightly relaxed the following year and cod fishing was restricted to areas such as St Lawrence and Nova Scotia of the east coast. Most environmentalists are of the view that the collapse of the East Coast Fisheries was as a result of a combination of several factors key among them ecological, political and socio-economic factors. Prior to the collapse, the Canadian ground fish landings had been on a gradual decline.
The East Coast cod Fishery which had been in existence for the last 500 years was put under moratorium. In most cases, the relationship between fisheries is predetermined by the society living around the fishery. However, it is bound to adapt based on the changes around. The government initiated programs to minimize overfishing. Some of the methods were: introducing fish hatcheries, better fishing vessels, and seasoning of fishing grounds. It took place when the government intervened to salvage the situation by controlling commercial fishing.
Causes of the Collapse of the Fishery
- Unrealistic and excessive high catch level that ignored the stocks dynamics and misrepresented scientific projections on the actual population of fish and this saw most fishermen engage in overfishing hence depleting the fishing stocks to low levels.
- Misrepresentation and dishonest reporting of actual catch levels that were very important for scientific projections and assessments. It was only after it was too late that the government realized what was going on and had to actually ban fishing activities which did little to improve the situation.
- Inappropriate fishing activities which saw fishermen dump or discard non-target species or immature fish back to the ocean and even in some instances on land. The current fish conservation framework prohibits high-grading or discarding non-target species.
- There was massive overfishing by foreigners especially on the Grand Banks. The overfishing was precipitated by lack of proper measures to regulate commercial fishing activities not only in Canada but even on international waters.
- Ecological changes greatly contributed to the closure of the East Coast Fishery. This was because of the fact that most of these changes were unforeseeable and the effects of the same might not have been clear. This coupled with the fact that there were various advancement in fishing gears technology further complicated the efforts to contain excessive fishing.
Threats to Salmon Stocks
Salmon stocks in Canada are also facing constant threats most of them which are manmade. One thing about salmons is that they are really sensitive creatures. In most cases, salmons are susceptible to injuries particularly from ecological and environmental changes. Such changes include a change in water levels or a change in temperature. However, Salmon fishing is deeply rooted in the lives of the aboriginal people. Since independence, the aboriginal people predominantly depended on fishing which explains why under the current Canadian laws; they are allowed to continue with the activity. Most significantly, it is in public domain what happened to the cod East Coast fishery and the same is likely to happen to the west coast salmon fishery.
The challenge of fishery depletion is not entirely from overfishing. Sometimes the challenge of powerful interests comes to play. After the collapse of cod fishery,” it is a common thing for individuals to fish faster than the reproduction levels of fish” (Dolan 6). This has led to a situation whereby on daily basis, fish is being depleted from the sea unconditionally. Overpopulation is the other factor that threatens the west coast salmon fishery. As human population increases, so does the demand for sea food. According to Schrank, there is even a bigger problem where fish are harvested as pet food(285-289) Owing to the fact that the kind of fish used as pet food are immature food, we are currently staring at a global catastrophe with regards to overfishing.
In the case of salmons, human activities around the shores have greatly affected their reproduction. Pollution has greatly reduced the number of salmons, as they are very sensitive to environment changes. It is not surprising therefore to see the diversion of rivers as well as activities such as damming. From the face of it, the level of damage not just to the salmon but to the marine ecosystem may not be that significant. However, the reason there is depletion of fish is mainly due to human factors namely overfishing and overpopulation.
Lessons to be learned
After the collapse of the East Coast Fishery, there were legislations put in place to cushion the industry of commercial fishing. This implies that the first reason why there was a collapse is because there was a systemic failure. However, the blame does not squarely lie on the government but all the stakeholders must share the blame. What happened at the East Coast was that the government was too busy setting unrealistic goals in terms of marine conservation and ignored the conservation part of the ecosystem. Equally to blame was the overreliance of scientific optimism which gave the notion that there would be a massive increase in fish population particularly cod during the early 1990’s. This overreliance on inaccurate projections led to collapse of the fishery and is likely to have the same effect in modern fisheries.
Such dynamics in the commercial fishing industry are commonly referred to as the ‘ratchet effect’. In a ratchet effect, the industry may offer some optimism in the presence of little legal framework only to later succumb to secondary factors affecting the same. In the fishing industry, the systems in place may seem lucrative for those operating in the industry but when ignored, the aftermath is always as catastrophic as the collapse of the East Coast Fishery. To prevent the same from happening and also preserve the current population of salmon which is under threat, fishing should be kept and maintained at sustainable levels. Most governments which are the custodians of fisheries are often quick considering potential profits from licenses and subsidiaries thus bypassing an even greater risk of overfishing.
After a short time, there is massive depletion of fish and fish resources necessitating the need for science to try and interpret and explain the decline in yields. Science is the other impediment and if not addressed will lead to the collapse of many modern fisheries. Just like the case of Canada, many scientists might predict a massive increase of fish that may sometime motivate individuals to overfish with the hope that the stock will be constant. This is not always the case according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the cost of overfishing surpasses the benefits (3).
Conclusion
In conclusion, most governments have tried to put in place measures to counter the risk of fish depletion as a result of overfishing. However, it cannot be said with entirety that indeed enough has been done to protect marine life. In 2003, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced the formation of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Action Team on Cod Recovery (Paul et al). This is one of the major steps taken towards the recovery of cod in the East Coast Region. Several treaties were also signed by Canada and the US government in an attempt to control commercial fishing in both the Pacific and the Atlantic. Only after bold measures are taken can there be a lasting solution to the challenge of overfishing and prevent a repeat of what happened at the East Coast Fishery.
Works Cited
Cook, Sinclair. et al, Potential collapse of North Sea cod stocks. Nature 1997; 385: 521-5.
Dayton, Paul, et al. "Environmental Effects of Marine Fishing." Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 5 (1995): 205-232.
Dolan, Holly, et al. "Restructuring and Health in Canadian Coastal Communities." Eco Health 2 (2005): 195-208.
"East Coast cod found to be recovering". CBC News. June 27, 2011.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canada's Oceans Action Plan - for Present and Future Generations, Ottawa, May 2005.Print
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Northern (2J+3KL) Cod Stock Status Update, Stock Status Report A2-01 (2002), April 2002.
Schrank, William. Extended fisheries jurisdiction: origins of the current crisis in Atlantic Canada's fisheries, Marine Policy, Volume 19, Issue 4, July 1995, Pages 285-299.
Shields, Edward (2001). Salt of the sea: the Pacific Coast cod fishery and the last days of sail. Lopez Island, WA: Heritage House.Print
William. Warner. Distant Water-The Fate of the North Atlantic Fisherman.
Penguin Books, 1984. Print
