Just Transactions, Just Transitions: Towards Truly Sustainable Fisheries in BC

The Canadian government, which is mandated to manage marine resources and fisheries on behalf of all Canadians, measures its success largely against two variables — conservation and economic growth...

Such a limited scope ignores the richer aspects of Canada’s fisheries and discredits their incredible value socially and culturally and overlooks many of our fisheries’ more nuanced economic benefits.

As a result, young people now face insurmountable barriers to enter in marine fisheries that were once at the centre of family and community life. And since the onset of unrestricted licensing and quota leasing, economic gains have been concentrated into the hands of a few investors, and there is now a drastic decline in the number of working fish harvesters and small boats.