Atlantic Canada possesses some of the best fishing in the whole world; due to the natural environmental conditions in the region. All of these favourable conditions add up to create water that is extremely suitable for fish. Specifically, the fact that the East Coast of Canada has a very wide continental shelf, which is less than 200 metres in depth. This allows sunlight to penetrate the bottom, causing a lush growth of plankton; therefore, attracting a huge number of fish. This helps with locating fish. Another factor which contributes to the rich natural environment is the meeting of the cold Labrador Current and the warm Gulf Stream. The colliding currents mix up nutrients from the bottom that are necessary for the growth of plankton. Plankton is essentially the backbone of the fishing in Atlantic Canada. Canada' s East Coast is a great area for fishing and the waters of this region have been among the world's greatest fishing grounds for centuries. Both inshore and offshore fishing take place in the East Coast Fisheries.
Fishing takes place off the coast of the Maritime provinces:
Fishing takes place off the coast of the Maritime provinces:
Although the East Coast Fishery possesses many naturally great things, the production of fish has decreased over the years. In the 1980's fishers began to notice that they were catching less and less fish and it appeared as if the northern cod (off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador) began to disappear. The catching of cod and many other groundfish continued to decline over time; however, the collapse that occurred in 1991 was sudden and unexpected. The Canadian Government responded to this decline by stopping all fishing for northern cod and decreasing the number of how many other groundfish species were allowed to be caught. After the ban was imposed, many professionals predicted that the fish population would recover in the short time of 5-7 years; nevertheless, this did not occur. Cod stocks have remained at or below the 1992 levels and many fear that they will never recover. Throughout the years, the fishing industry has responded to this problem by diversifying their catch, as fishers now catch much larger quantities of other fish, in particular shellfish. Fishery critics are worried once again that the East Coast Fishery will be in trouble, as they believe that we may have not learned our lesson and are overfishing these fish stocks too.
Many theories have been developed as to why the serious decline in the number of groundfish occurred and there is a list of reasons; furthermore, it cannot just be singled down to one. Fish are a renewable resource if managed properly (if the number caught each year does not exceed the number reaching maturity). The attempt at sustained yield management in the East Coast Fishery obviously failed. It is still being studied as to what went wrong, so we can manage it better in the future. The five major theories as to why fishing in Atlantic Canada collapsed are overfishing, improved fishing technology, uncontrolled fishing technology, destructive fishing practices and changes in natural conditions.
Overfishing - It is evident that the catch allowed by the government each year was way too high and sustained yield management did not occur, as calculations were obviously incorrect.
Improved Fishing Technology - After the Industrial Revolution, when more powerful technological developments were made, such as sonar and satellite navigation, fishers were able to locate schools of fish faster and more accurately. This relates back to overfishing. Also, as they continued to become more high-tech, very few fish escaped the fishing nets.
Uncontrolled Foreign Fishing - Since this region was so environmentally strong, many other countries liked to fish here, even if they were not allowed. With the addition of other countries catching our fish, the amount of fish caught was way too high.
Destructive Fishing Practices - When fishers were trying to catch a specific type of fish in a net, many other fish were often caught by mistake and if not needed, just thrown away. Only the remaining fish were reported as being caught.
Changes in Natural Conditions - Since water temperatures dropped and ocean salinity levels changed over the years, fish have altered the migration patterns in order to avoid the areas that were affected by this. This resulted in the loss of fish in certain regions.
Many theories have been developed as to why the serious decline in the number of groundfish occurred and there is a list of reasons; furthermore, it cannot just be singled down to one. Fish are a renewable resource if managed properly (if the number caught each year does not exceed the number reaching maturity). The attempt at sustained yield management in the East Coast Fishery obviously failed. It is still being studied as to what went wrong, so we can manage it better in the future. The five major theories as to why fishing in Atlantic Canada collapsed are overfishing, improved fishing technology, uncontrolled fishing technology, destructive fishing practices and changes in natural conditions.
Overfishing - It is evident that the catch allowed by the government each year was way too high and sustained yield management did not occur, as calculations were obviously incorrect.
Improved Fishing Technology - After the Industrial Revolution, when more powerful technological developments were made, such as sonar and satellite navigation, fishers were able to locate schools of fish faster and more accurately. This relates back to overfishing. Also, as they continued to become more high-tech, very few fish escaped the fishing nets.
Uncontrolled Foreign Fishing - Since this region was so environmentally strong, many other countries liked to fish here, even if they were not allowed. With the addition of other countries catching our fish, the amount of fish caught was way too high.
Destructive Fishing Practices - When fishers were trying to catch a specific type of fish in a net, many other fish were often caught by mistake and if not needed, just thrown away. Only the remaining fish were reported as being caught.
Changes in Natural Conditions - Since water temperatures dropped and ocean salinity levels changed over the years, fish have altered the migration patterns in order to avoid the areas that were affected by this. This resulted in the loss of fish in certain regions.