Fisheries Management In Line For An Overhaul

Fisheries Management In Line For An Overhaul

Thursday, October 13, 2005 at 13:29

 

 

Both the federal and provincial governments are reviewing how they manage fish in freshwater lakes and rivers in northern Saskatchewan.

 

A permanent committee was recently created to develop and oversee a national Freshwater Fisheries Strategy.

 

And, the provincial government is in the very early stages of developing a new fisheries management plan — a process that hasn’t happened since the 1980s.

 

Saskatchewan Environment spokesman Kevin Callele says the federal initiative is important, because the federal fisheries minister now realizes that not enough attention has been given to the inland fishing industry.

 

The national Freshwater Fisheries Strategy will deal with the management and allocation of fisheries, including the updating of fish inventories.

 

Callele says it will also hopefully clarify the roles and responsibilities of Saskatchewan Environment and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on northern water bodies.

 

As for the updating of the provincial fisheries management plan, Callele says commercial fishers, the outfitting industry and First Nations subsistence fishers will all be consulted.

 

He says the big issue will be deciding if they still have enough fish to go around and if the right amount of fish is being allocated to each group.

 

Callele says this work will guide fisheries allocation decision over the next decade.