2018-Feb-15
Fisheries Act Amendments Introduced
Fisheries Act Amendments Introduced – Update by Robert Moos, GBA Director, Blackstone Lake
On February 6th the Trudeau government introduced in the House of Commons significant amendments to the federal Fisheries Act.
The Fisheries Act has been in force for decades. It protects fish and their habitat. Projects that may have negative impacts, such as construction of bridges, pipelines across streams and rivers, and other structures, are subject to federal review and require permits.
In 2012 the federal government reduced the scope of the act. This was partly a means to facilitate approval of energy projects, and may also have been intended to reduce staffing requirements. Instead of applying to all fish species, the act was amended in 2012 so that it applied only to commercial, recreational and Aboriginal fish stocks and their habitat. There were other changes as well. For many lakes and streams, proposed projects no longer required permits. This cut the number of federal Fisheries Act reviews by about half.
The new amendments will, if passed, restore the old scope of the Fisheries Act. It will apply to all fish and their habitat. The amendments will also:
- Provide enhanced consideration of Aboriginal interests and involvement;
- Enhance tools for dealing with commercial license holders and their interests;
- Clarify what projects will require authorization through permitting and codes of practice;
- Enhance provisions for protecting fish and, for the first time, cetaceans;
- Provide flexibility for out of court settlements.
The government has also committed to spend an additional $284 million on related fisheries enhancement measures and enforcement over the next five years. This is critical, as the number of Fisheries Officers has been reduced over the years. It is too soon to say how this may impact Georgian Bay and its tributaries. However, a stronger Fisheries Act can only be beneficial and may give us more leverage in our ongoing efforts on cage aquaculture.
