The Government of Canada has tabled a new Fisheries Act, with the goal of upgrading the Act to restoring protections that were lost as part of the 2012 Omnibus budget Bill as well as add modern safeguards. The Fisheries Act hasn’t seen tangible improvement since it was created in 1868 and has not included a purpose section since amendments were made in 1996.

A clear purpose now guides the Act and provides the basis for conservation of fisheries and fish habitat as well as protecting from pollution. The Act also recognizes Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution – protecting Indigenous Rights – as integral to implementing the Act. Both mark important progress in a modernized Fisheries Act.

For a before and after comparison of the Act, visit the Department of Fisheries and Oceans website.

You can read more about the changes in an op-ed by Susanna Fuller, SeaChoice Steering Committee Member and Senior Marine Co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre.

SeaChoice partner organizations, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Ecology Action Centre put out press releases, available here and here.

As the EAC press release states – the Fisheries Act amendments show promise, but the true test will be in implementation.