We will be using this page on occasion to further develop the ideas in “Changing Course”, introduce new initiatives, flag relevant events or articles, and add our own comments.
3. Heads Up!
“Changing Course” will be leading a session at an international 3-day conference in St. John’s this June. The 4th World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress (North American Region) will bring together participants from fishing communities, academia, government and civil society, to share experiences and lessons learned and explore how to “get it right” as we move forward at this critical time.
Small-scale fisheries such as Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore sector have been shown to be the most sustainable framework for harvesting the oceans, and they will be the focus of the Congress. Our session, “Getting Fish Harvesting Policy Right,” will present and discuss the fundamentals of our alternative approach to fisheries management, based on regulating fishing effort (controlling inputs) rather than setting quotas (controlling outputs.)
As shown throughout this website, the new policy framework that we advocate integrates Western science and modern data technology with the deeper knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples and with lessons learned from our rich history of traditional outport fishing. In our session at the Congress, participants will explore and challenge these ideas with each other and with us, as part of the process of forging better ways to “get harvesting policy right.”
Make sure to mark June 20-22, 2022 on your calendar.
We look forward to seeing you there!
2. Heads up!
The Ocean Frontier Institute is an international hub of scholars in ocean research, led by Memorial, Dalhousie and the University of PEI, aiming towards development of a sustainable blue economy. The February newsletter of OFI’s Module I, which focuses on “Informing Governance Responses in a Changing Ocean,” published our article “There is more than one way to…Manage a fishery!” with this introduction:
“For Barry Darby and Helen Forsey, a ‘fishery of the future’ is “where the harvest was ecologically sustainable, economic returns were optimized, high quality food was produced, harvesters were trained professionals, and coastal communities enjoyed food sovereignty and economic stability”. To them, this is only achievable if we ‘change course’, and reimagine the ways we manage fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador. They propose a paradigm shift in our approach to fisheries governance: from attempts to control outputs through quotas, to managing mainly by controlling input, i.e. fishing effort. Effort-Based Management (EBM), according to them, would benefit not only the fishery but the ocean itself. Getting there, however, will require input from a wide range of stakeholders – academics, harvesters, fishery workers, the people of our coastal communities and the general public – to move us towards a new paradigm, one aligned with the vision of the Blue Economy and the ideal of ‘Getting It Right’.”
Download the article at https://www.ofigovernance.net/opinion-darby-forsey.
1. Heads Up!
Changing Course featured in Rural Delivery magazine
Effort-based fishery management is the subject of a two-part series by Barry Darby and Helen Forsey in the popular and practical Nova Scotia-based magazine, Rural Delivery. “Changing Course – A case for effort-based management of Atlantic fisheries” appeared in the October, 2020 issue, followed by “Changing Course – How do we make the shift?” in the November 2020 edition.
Barry Darby and Changing Course on CBC Radio’s The Broadcast
Many fishery issues are explored in detail on CBC Radio’s The Broadcast, with host Jane Adey. Past episodes are available for listening at https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-122-the-broadcast. Several of the programs in recent months have featured the ideas in Changing Course:
A. The FIX: a sea change in how the federal government manages the fishery
Interview with Barry Darby, March 10th, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-122-the-broadcast/clip/15765140-questions-long-awaited-harp-seal-count-the-fix
B. Does cod need a new management approach 28 years after the moratorium?
Interview with Barry Darby, July 17, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-122-the-broadcast/clip/15787899-does-cod-need-management-approach-28-years-moratorium
C. Fishing cod by effort instead of by quota. Is there a better way to manage the cod fishery?
Reaction from Keith Sullivan of the FFAW, the union representing fish harvesters, Aug. 12, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-122-the-broadcast/clip/15791927-fishing-cod-effort-instead-quota-reaction-union-represents
Changing Course: A New Direction for Canadian Fisheries 