Catching and eating fish is a way of life for many people around the Great Lakes and connecting St. Lawrence River, but decades of industrial pollution have made it unsafe to eat too many, too often. The advice about how many and how often can vary wildly depending on which jurisdiction, even though the fish […]
fisheries
The Pandemic Changed How People Buy Fish—and Small Fishers Couldn’t Keep Up
Small-scale fishers, often overlooked by government aid, were less able to adapt to changing market conditions than large companies. As a result, many lost out to bigger players. The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the global fishing industry. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and disruptions to supply chains all conspired to depress demand for fresh fish in […]
China’s Surprisingly Robust System of Marine Protection
China is not slouching on its marine protection efforts—domestically, at least. China, as the world’s largest producer and consumer of seafood, is well known for its voracious international fishing fleet. But a comprehensive understanding of the country’s efforts on marine protection, at least in its domestic waters, has remained elusive—even to many experts within China. […]
Want to Save a Failing Fishery? Take the Long View
Half a millennium of fishing records shows Canada could have saved the Atlantic cod. Almost 30 years ago, the cod fishery that had sustained commercial fishers in Newfoundland and Labrador for centuries came to an abrupt end, with a government-imposed moratorium aimed at saving the collapsing cod population. The moratorium put 30,000 people out of […]
US Fisheries Hit Hard by COVID-19
Demand for fresh seafood has plummeted as people avoid dine-in restaurants. The COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world for much of the past year has disrupted many industries, and fisheries are no exception. An early analysis estimates that in the United States, the pandemic has caused fresh seafood catches to decline by 40 percent […]
Canada Gives BP Okay to Explore in Marine Conservation Area
How protected is a marine refuge, really, if oil drilling is allowed? Earlier this month, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board accepted a bid from oil company BP to explore for oil and gas in an area that includes part of Atlantic Canada’s largest marine conservation area. Read more in Hakai.
New Canadian law improves habitat protections and adds Indigenous consultation
All fish are created equal, or at least treated equally under Canada’s new fisheries law that came into effect last summer. Under the updated law, fish habitat has gained new protections in Canada. The new version of the law restores protections that were removed by the previous government in 2012 and brings in new requirements […]
People are using mosquito nets for fishing – and it works too well
Mosquito nets designed to help stop the transmission of malaria are finding a new use – fishing. However, the way they are used could have destructive consequences for both food security and coastal ecosystems. Read more in New Scientist.
Hatchery Fish Are Less Successful at Reproducing in the Wild
Genetic experiments show hatchery escapees that breed with wild fish have fewer offspring. Every spring, hatcheries in Alaska release more than a billion year-old pink and chum salmon. The fish spend a year out at sea growing up, before they return to be caught by the state’s fishing fleet. At least, that’s how it’s supposed […]
Aquaculture Doesn’t Reduce Pressure on Wild Fish
If anything, the rise of farm-raised fish has increased our desire for seafood. Aquaculture is often promoted as a sustainable alternative to catching wild fish—a way to reduce pressure on overexploited stocks while providing affordable and necessary protein for people’s diets. It’s an argument put forward by major international organizations like the World Bank and […]