West Coast Commercial Fisheries Modernization: Engaging on improving commercial fisheries policy and licensing
We are engaging with First Nations, Indigenous organizations and commercial fishery participants to explore concerns that have been raised about Pacific region commercial fisheries policy and licensing, and possible solutions.
We have heard concerns from First Nations and Indigenous organizations, fishery advisory boards, independent harvesters, stakeholder groups, environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs), and through testimony from the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) about challenges faced by commercial fisheries participants, and requests for changes.
In July, 2024 DFO began engagement to gather views on modernizing west coast commercial fisheries, focused on several key topics:
- more inclusive representation on fisheries advisory boards
- greater transparency of licence and quota holdings
- strengthened and more transparent socio-economic data
- foreign ownership and concentration of fisheries access
- modernizing licensing and management rules to better support economic sustainability (including topics related to accessibility, adaptability and resiliency, the sharing of risks and benefits and economic viability concerns of independent harvesters and small-scale operations)
What we’ve done
We have been working on these topics. For example we have:
- Reviewed fishery advisory board membership and associated processes, to determine gaps in representation of the range of fishery participants for each commercial fishery
- Initiated work to develop a Licence and Quota Registry to improve the transparency of commercial licence and quota holdings, including technical feasibility and legal requirements
- Published a series of interactive dashboards with commercial and recreational socio-economic data, and developed surveys, such as a Cost and Earnings Survey, to better understand coastal community reliance on fisheries
- Conducted a comparative analysis of fisheries policies and regulations on the east and west coasts, and implementation considerations in these different contexts
- Conducted a Beneficial Ownership Survey to better understand the beneficial ownership of fishing licences in Canada. The results were published in September 2023. Work is ongoing to further explore issues around leasing and concentration of access
- Initiated engagement on the above-noted topics with First Nations, Indigenous organizations, and fishery participants, with approximately 75 engagements between July 2024 and December 2024, culminating in two Parliamentary Secretary-led roundtables and one Minister-led roundtable
What’s happening now
We are planning workshops to occur in coastal communities in early 2025. These additional engagements with First Nations and fishery participants will delve deeper into the issues and diversity of views regarding a path forward to improve commercial west coast commercial fisheries licensing and management. These engagements will further inform DFO’s work on next steps.
Workshops are planned as follows:
- February 4, 2025: Nanaimo
- February 6, 2025: Prince Rupert
- February 11, 2025: Campbell River
- February 18, 2025: Richmond
- February 19, 2025: Virtual
- February 26, 2025: First Nations only
How to participate
If you are a commercial fisheries participant and would like to learn more about how you can participate in a workshop, or to share your comments, concerns, thoughts and ideas with the Department, please send them to WCFM-MPCO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
Please check back to this page for updates on our progress and for information about your opportunity to be involved.
Related links
For more information and background:
- Turning the Tide: A New Policy for Canada's Pacific Fisheries - September, 1982
- A History of Pacific Fisheries Policy - May, 1993
- West Coast Fisheries: Sharing Risks and Benefit, Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans Report - May, 2019
- Comparative analysis of commercial fisheries policies and regulations on Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts - January, 2021
- 2022 Beneficial Ownership Survey results - Septmber, 2023
- Foreign Ownership and Corporate Concentration of Licences and Quota, Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans Report - December, 2023
- Date modified: