MPAs | Governance

We are involved in several marine planning processes on the B.C. coast to represent the concerns of small-scale, independent commercial fishermen. Documents supporting our work in this area can be found here. 

Fisheries management in B.C. has historically focused exclusively on sustaining marine ecosystems' biological health, with little consideration granted to the fisheries' socio-economic and cultural contributions to coastal communities' well-being. This narrow vision of sustainability in fisheries management has had devastating impacts on B.C.'s coastal communities. We contributed to this paper (Integrating Diverse Objectives for Sustainable Fisheries in Canada) that proposes a socio-ecologically sustainable fisheries management regime.


In 2015, we participated in the MPAs and Fisheries Science forum, convened in Vancouver to outline ways MPAs and fisheries can effectively work together. The gathering's final report - Seeking Convergence: Proceedings of the MPAs and Fisheries Science Gathering - can be found here

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In 2019, we supported the Commercial Fishing Caucus' participation in creation of the North Shelf Bioregion MPA planning process. The organization's final report from these consultations can be found here.