Canadian Marine Fisheries in a Changing and Uncertain World A Report Prepared for the Canadian Global Change Program of the Royal Society of Canada

This report outlines a vision for future sustainable marine fisheries for Canada, beginning with an overview of the recent history & current state of Canadian marine fishery systems from the perspective of the natural & social sciences. It then describes variability in the biological components of fishery systems and presents evidence of the relationship between variability in the physical environment and variability in marine fish populations. This is followed by an exploration of how variability & change in social & economic processes and the evolution of human institutions influence fishery systems. Basic problems studied include over-investment in harvesting capacity & under-investment in conservation & habitat protection. Chapter 4 elaborates on the sources of uncertainty & risks related to fish populations & industry economics. This sets the stage for subsequent discussions of the implications of these sources of risk, not only for actions of management agencies, but also for actions of industry, fishermen, and coastal communities that depend on fishing. The last part of the report emphasizes the features of an effective social response to the challenge of managing these risks: stewardship & conservation, participation & co-operation, and compliance & accountability.