Fishing Industry Flashcards
Where are the 3 main fisheries in Canada?
Which has the highest production?
Which has the lowest production?
East Coast -highest production
West Coast
Freshwater-lowest production
How much of the Canadian catch is exported?
About 50%
When did Canada’s fisheries start to collapse?
What were the first signs of the collapse?
They noticed the start of a collapse in 1980. The fishery industries noticed that they were catching fewer and smaller fish.
What are the 5 main reasons for the collapse of the East coast fisheries?
Explain each one.
Overfishing: Too many fish were caught because scientists may have overestimated how many fish would reach adulthood.
Improved Fishing Technology: Better technology helped fishermen find fish more easily.
Uncontrolled Foreign Fishing: Countries like Russia and Japan caught more fish than sustainable practices allow.
Destructive Fishing Practices: Fishermen accidentally caught other types of fish in their nets, and dead fish were often thrown away.
Changes in Natural Conditions: Environmental changes, like cooler water and changing salt levels, affected fish migration. Fewer seals also led to more small fish being eaten, which hurt the cod population.
What is the most important catch on the west coast of Canada?
What are the 3 reasons for the collapse of the west coast fishing industry?
Salmon
Overfishing - During the 1990s, Canadian and American salmon-fishing boats were Over Over
Fishing
Changes in the Environment
Lack of a Salmon Fishing Treaty
Explain how overfishing hurt the West Coast industry
Salmon weren’t being restored because they didn’t have time to grow. In B.C., there used to be 100 major fishing plants, but now there are fewer than 10.
Explain how changes in natural conditions hurt the West Coast industry
Global warming is heating the Pacific Ocean, which is bad for salmon because they need cooler waters below 7ºC. If the temperature keeps rising, salmon will move north to breed in Alaska’s rivers instead of those in British Columbia.
Explain how lack of a salmon fishing treaty hurt the West Coast industry
There is a long-standing disagreement between the U.S. and Canada. Canadian officials think fewer salmon should be caught to protect them, while U.S. officials believe there are still enough to catch.
What are the 3 challenges to the West Coast Fishing Industry - Explain each one.
Commercial Fishing - Fish farms, which raise salmon in pens, now produce more salmon than wild catches. Farmed salmon is also cheaper than wild-caught salmon.
Sport fishing- Sport fishers want more salmon because catching one for fun makes more money than one caught by a commercial fishing boat.
First Nations- The Superior Court gave First Nations the right to fish for food, and this right comes before everything else, except for conservation.
