4.1 



CANADA 



Increasing restrictions on Atlantic Canada's fisheries have hurt the operations of many fishermen and fishing 

 companies in Canada. This may prompt some Canadian fishermen or companies to sell their vessels in an 

 attempt to trim their operating costs or to leave Canadian fisheries. The Canadian Government will remain 

 vigilant in monitoring foreign-flag vessels fishing inside their 200-mile EEZ and will argue for responsible fishing 

 in international bodies dealing with the issue of transboundary stocks. 



CONTENTS 



1. General Background 261 



2. Fleet Background 262 



3. Modernization Programs 262 



4. Decommissioning Programs 262 



5. Shipyards 262 



6. International Agreements 263 



7. Fleet Dispersal Plans 263 



Sources 263 



Endnotes 266 



1. General Background 



Canada is the second largest country in the 

 world, covering an area of slightly less than 10 

 million square kilometers (km). Canada's coastline 

 of 244,000km ranks among the world's largest and 

 opens onto what were once some of the world's 

 richest fishing grounds. As recently as 1988, 

 Canada harvested 1.6 million metric tons, with cod, 

 haddock, hake, lobsters, scallops, salmon, and crabs 

 as the major species. Nearly one-fifth of the catch, 

 mostly cod, was exported to the United States. 

 However, a combination of overfishing and a 

 dramatic fall in North Atlantic ocean temperatures, 

 have led to declines in the stocks of groundfish 

 (Table 1). 



In 1992, the Government of Canada imposed 

 a two-year moratorium on the Newfoundland cod 

 fishery, which has since been extended indefinitely 

 and now covers other species of groundfish. This 

 moratorium has led to unemployment for over 

 50,000 fishermen and plant workers in Atlantic 

 Canada, causing a great deal of social dislocation. 

 It has also called attention to accusations of 

 overfishing just outside the Canadian EEZ. Thus, 

 Canada has signed an agreement with the EC 

 designed to regulate high-seas fishing, and has 

 pushed for a United Nations convention that would 

 give coastal states greater authority to restrict 

 fishing just outside their EEZs. 



261 



