Federal–Provincial Strategic Planning for Ontario Fisheries: Management Strategy for the 1980s

A new management strategy for Ontario fisheries was addressed by a federal–provincial task force in 1974–76. It was initiated in an atmosphere of concern over the deteriorating status of fish stocks in Ontario, and indeed elsewhere in Canada. The task force published interim documents on "Goals and Issues," on "Mandates," and on "Objectives." These received limited distribution for criticism. This report summarizes the proposed "Strategy." Speaking generally, it has become abundantly clear that our traditional approach to fisheries management — development-oriented, exploitive, open access — is no longer appropriate in the 1970s and 1980s. That approach, together with the accelerating impacts of land and water uses that conflict with fisheries, has resulted in serious losses in our resource base, particularly during the past two or three decades. A new approach to fisheries management, characterized generally by maintenance in the north and by rehabilitation in the south is now essential. Much of the scientific and technical knowledge needed for the new approach is already available. To apply that knowledge, and to achieve the new knowledge and current data series necessary to its application, a major new initiative is necessary. That initiative, though costly in comparison to past levels of expenditure, seems easily justified in terms of the current economic value of the resources. Furthermore, additional values attributable to fisheries resources are now gaining wide acceptance; e.g. healthy fish communities are indicators of healthy aquatic environments. The new initiative will require more than just funding. It will require the evolution of different value systems, and of new and/or more explicit policies regarding— a new level of public participation;— a "user pays" policy in place of the free access philosophy of the past — to meet some of the increased cost of managing the resource;— more limited access and increased emphasis on protection in place of the open access, common property approach of the past;— explicit recognition that "experimental management" is needed to gain the new knowledge necessary to manage;— recognition that management of fisheries requires greater attention to environmental quality matters;— explicit allocation of those parts of the resource base available for commercial and for recreational use;— new working arrangements between fisheries agencies and other institutions.