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See? Food!. Fishing History. Fishing is Canada’s oldest industry. Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) found lots of fish here in 1497, and kicked off the Atlantic fishing trade in Canada Now, there’s much less, and that’s a problem.
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Fishing History • Fishing is Canada’s oldest industry. • Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) found lots of fish here in 1497, and kicked off the Atlantic fishing trade in Canada • Now, there’s much less, and that’s a problem. • Canadians don’t eat a lot of fish compared to other countries, so most is exported.
What do we fish for? • 3 types of fish: • Ground Fish (Bottom feeders like cod, halibut, and redfish) • Pelagic Fish (Open water feeders like Salmon, herring and tuna) • Shellfish (Crustaceans and Molluscs like lobster, mussels and shrimp)
East Coast • Until recently, one of the best fishing grounds. • The Grand Banks (which are only about 200m deep) get a lot of sunlight. • More sunlight means more plankton. More plankton means more fish.
Challenges • There were lots of fish here until recently. Where did they all go? • Overfishing: The catch limit placed on fishermen for years may have been too high, based on overestimates. • Improved Fishing Technology: Bigger boats, better nets and sonar and satellite systems . • Foreign Fishing Fleets: Canada’s control extends to 370 km past our coastline. However, lots of foreign countries like to try to sneak in and grab fish. • Destructive Fishing Practices: Using big nets, sometimes you pull up fish you don’t intend to. • Changes in environmental conditions: Climate change is affecting saline levels in the water. Also, less seal hunting means more seals to eat fish stocks.
West Coast • Smaller industry than on the East Coast. • No equivalent of the Grand Banks to encourage huge fish stocks. • Problems with the East Coast have made scientists take a closer look at the West Coast industry, to see what needs fixing.
Challenges • Overfishing: Like on the East Coast. • Changes in the Environment: • Salmon prefer water colder than 7 degrees C. If temperatures continue to rise, then the salmon will move further North. • No fishing treaty with the US: Canada wants to fish less, but USA doesn’t believe restrictions are needed.
Aquaculture • Fish Farming • Easier production: all the fish are in one spot, so it’s easier, cheaper and safer to get the fish • $837.3 million in 2007 • 30% of total fisheries in Canada • 85% of production is exported to over 20 countries.
Problems with Aquaculture • Farmed fish are fed using “wild” fish. Huge impact on wild fisheries. • Farmed fish often escape from their pens, interbreed with wild fish, and lower genetic diversity • Fish in confined spaces are more prone to diseases and parasites, like sea lice. • Fish waste, uneaten food, antibiotics, chemicals, pesticides, and dead organisms pollute the surrounding water and contaminate it
“The Turbot War” • In 1995, Canada (backed by the UK and Ireland) stopped a Spanish fishing trawler in international waters and arrested its crew • Canada claimed that European ships were illegally overfishing Greenland turbot, just outside Canada's declared 370 km Exclusive Economic Zone. • No shots fired, but remains the only conflict between EU members states to date.
