1 Full Accounting for Catches An increasing necessity for sustainable fisheries management

2 The Issue Accurate catch reporting is: A core element of sustainable fisheries management. Necessary for demonstrating compliance with various international commitments. An area of interest to Canada; we will work with all interested parties on this pillar of sustainability.

3 Some Domestic Requirements Need for reliable and timely recording of all species and areas; Coverage of all fisheries; Full accounting: targeted catch, by-catch, and discards (including Species at Risk and species of no commercial value ); Need for a diversity of monitoring tools: –Vessel monitoring systems (VMS), –Dockside monitoring & port inspections programs, –At-sea observer programs, and –Electronic Monitoring and electronic logs (E-logs)

4 Some Canadian Experiences 1)British Columbia Groundfish fisheries – 2006 Commercial Groundfish Integration Program. 2) Georges Bank – Canada-US cooperation in the management of cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder stocks.

5 Pacific Commercial Groundfish Integration Program 2006 implementation of the Commercial Groundfish Integration Pilot Program in the Pacific region –Covers more than 60 different stocks of groundfish –Consolidation of management plans of 6 fisheries into 1 –Individual Quotas (IQs) in all fisheries –Individual vessel accountable for all catches (mortality) –Individual quota trading between vessels and fisheries –100% at-sea monitoring

6 Audit - Based Monitoring Combination of log books / camera coverage / dockside monitoring Log books and catches monitored using the camera footage. For discrepancies, additional camera footage reviews – incremental costs to fishers.

7 Benefits and Challenges of the Program Improved data collection Provides state-of-the-art monitoring to help ensure that: conservation objectives are met; harvests remain within TACs; closed areas are protected. Main challenges are: –Cost to harvesters, –Development of new management system

8 Another Example: Atlantic Coast Georges Bank – Canadian and U.S. cooperation – Jointly assessing and managing cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder –Agreement to account for all removals of directed fisheries and any other fishery that may take these species as bycatch/discard –extensive observer coverage

9 Conclusion Catch reporting is a key element of sustainable fisheries management. Effective reporting alone might not guarantee sustainability, but is a necessary condition for it. With sound data we enable ourselves to make better decisions for the long-term sustainability of the fish stocks