Fishing at a Crossroads Text Answers

Provide two reasons why fishing is still considered important despite the low contribution to the total Canadian economy (.1%). -it is the foundation of its economy -basis of their traditional way of life that has a special place in Canada’s cultural heritage.

Where are the three areas that commercial fishing occurs in Canada Where are the three areas that commercial fishing occurs in Canada? How many licensed fishers are found in each area? - East coast- 42 897 -West Coast- 49 906 -freshwater inland lakes- 6 900

3. What are the three major fish species that are caught by Canadian fishers? Provide examples for each type. -Groundfish—(bottom feeders) caught near the ocean floor- cod, Pollock, haddock, halibut, redfish -Pelagic fish- (open water feeders)- fish that feed and are caught near the surface- salmon, herring, mackerel, tuna, caplin -shellfish- Molluscs and crustaceans- shrimp, lobster, oysters, scallops, mussels

4. How much of the Canadian fish caught is exported to other countries 4. How much of the Canadian fish caught is exported to other countries? Why is this? Even though Canada is not one of the top 10 fishing nations, more than 50% is exported. Canadians, on a whole, do not eat much fish, therefore making fishing a very important economic industry.

5. What three global regions are the most important markets for Canadian fish? -United States -Western Europe -Countries of the Pacific Rim (particularly Japan)

6. Describe how each of the following contributes to making the east coast of Canada one of the world’s greatest fishing grounds. Continental Shelf – less than 200m in depth  Fishing Banks – less than 150m in depth—here sunlight penetrates to the bottom causing lush growth of plankton, which attracts large numbers of fish Plankton – are the base of the food chain, without these fish would not be so abundant (or present at all) Labrador Current/Gulf Stream – meeting of the cold Labrador current and the warm Gulf Stream cause a mixing of nutrients that are necessary for growth of plankton

8. Why did the Canadian government in 1992 shut down the cod industry? The northern cod off the coast of Newfoundland seemed to be disappearing.

9. Identify the five major reasons why it is believed the cod industry collapsed on the east coast. For each one jot down 2-3 points explaining the impact it had on the industry. -Over fishing – the catch allowed each year implemented by the govt. seems to be too high. Scientists have overestimated the population #’s of adult fish each year. If this happened then more fish were caught than had reached maturity and the sustained yield management is not working. (sym)= number of fish caught per year not exceeding the number of reaching maturity

-Improved fishing technology- after WWII, larger more powerful, engine driven trawlers were developed. Sonar and satellite navigation systems helped fishermen locate schools of fish faster and more accurately. Over the years, fewer and fewer fish escaped the nets. Ironically, the “advances” in technology made over fishing possible.

Uncontrolled Foreign Fishing fleets- By the late 1960’s foreign fleets such as Russia and Japan caught far more fish than sustained yield methods would have allowed. Countries with ocean coastlines were urging United Nations to allow them to extend national fishing limits over the continental shelf. In this way countries such as Canada could protect their fish stocks. Therefore the UN allowed Canada to extend its control of the seas to 370km/200 nautical miles (OEZ). Foreign fishing fleets in this area must follow Canadian restrictions.

- Destructive fishing practices- when trawlers were trying to catch one kind of fish, ex: cod, many other types of fish may have been caught in the nets as well. These unwanted fish, which were already dead, were usually just thrown away. Only the remaining fish were reported to the authorities as having been caught.

Changes in Natural Conditions-some blame the natural environmental conditions for the decline of fish stocks. Two specific changes. 1) water temp changes- they have dropped and ocean salinity levels have changed since the mid – 1980’s. The fish may have changed their migratory routes to avoid these areas where this has occurred. 2) seal industry- the decline of the industry in the late 1970’s caused an increase in the seal population. This, in turn, reduced groundfish populations because the seals ate large quantities of a small fish called Caplin, which is a major food source for cod. Seals also may be eating large amount of cod.