Thank you very much.
I would like to thank the committee for this opportunity to appear before you today. My name is Robert Rangeley. l'm a marine biologist and I am vice-president of the Atlantic region for WWF-Canada.
First, I should apologize. This is a last-minute invitation. We didn't have time to get the translated copies ready. There is a presentation with the chair.
With me is Lorne Johnson, director of our Ottawa bureau.
I'll tell you about WWF-Canada very briefly and then I'll get into some of the issues we'd like to discuss with the committee.
WWF-Canada was founded in 1967 by Senator Alan MacNaughton, and it has become one of the country's leading conservation organizations. We enjoy the active support of 60,000 Canadians. As a member of the WWF International network, we are active in over 100 countries worldwide. With our supporters and partners, we seek to achieve the WWF vision, which is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. We want to do this by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
Today, l'm going to begin with one of our priority conservation objectives: the recovery of the Grand Banks. I'll discuss specific measures required to achieve sustainability in all our marine waters and the consequences of inaction. A legacy of short-sighted fisheries decisions since the advent of industrial fishing in the 1950s, even up to the present, has impacted marine resources globally, but maybe nowhere nearly as dramatically as in the Grand Banks. These decisions led to ecological collapses, economic hardship, and uncertainty.
Fisheries collapses, where some stocks declined to less than 1% of their historical highs, were thought to have bottomed out when moratoria were imposed in the early 1990s. How wrong we were. Most people assume that because the fishing of some species is banned, those fish stocks are no longer being caught, but this is clearly not the case.
For example, we know that in 2003 alone, up to 5,400 tonnes of cod on the southern Grand Banks were caught in bycatch. This represented some 90% of the estimated stock at that time. That was a fishery that had already declined and had been on moratoria since 1994. Despite this bleak scenario, the Grand Banks are not lost. There's still considerable productivity, and the building blocks for recovery exist. To reverse this situation there first needs to be a positive vision for the Grand Banks.
In an effort to get discussions started, WWF has proposed a vision for the Grand Banks whereby levels of productivity and species richness return to 1950s levels by 2050. This would mean a return to a balanced, healthy ecosystem supporting lucrative fisheries that provide lasting economic benefits to Atlantic Canadians and distant water fleets alike. There is still a chance, and WWF and many others are committed to making recovery a reality.
If Canada is to undertake an effort to allow recovery to happen, we must change how our oceans are managed, and we're long overdue. Despite nearly 15 years since the first cod moratorium, there is still no recovery agenda and no action plan. What needs to be done? Fundamentally, fisheries management must shift from a focus on commercial species to managing on an ecosystem basis where biodiversity and habitats are the values to sustain. This is old news and is not controversial. As you've heard from your previous witness, this is an agenda item.
If we accomplished this feat it would bring Canada in line with other progressive jurisdictions such as in the Alaskan North Pacific and in CCAMLR, the regional fisheries management organization for the Antarctic. They have successfully used ecosystem-based management to build sustainable fisheries and livelihoods. These are good models for Canada to follow.
The three measures I am about to describe must be applied in all Canadian waters; they are straightforward and well acknowledged. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has made the commitment. The problem is moving from words to action. Further, Canadian leadership, that is walking the talk, will influence the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, NAFO, and will inform the reform process currently under way. This is crucial for Grand Banks recovery, and it's our last best chance to get it right.
Turning to the measures, first, DFO must lead the development in the implementation of recovery plans for depleted stocks. As has been clearly demonstrated, moratoria alone are insufficient. Such drastic measures must be accompanied by effective recovery plans, which include measurable targets, with timelines and comprehensive management measures that address all sources of fishing mortality, including bycatch, and that protect important habitats.
If a cod recovery strategy were put in place, decisions such as those taken last spring that opened the northern cod fishery and also permitted recreational cod fishing would have been measured against the objectives of the plan. That this didn't happen signals a willingness to once again roll the dice with cod recovery and future livelihoods.
Second, DFO must develop and enforce measures to significantly reduce bycatch. Current rates of fishing mortality, particularly through bycatch, are clearly inhibiting the recovery of moratoria stocks. Bycatch is also contributing to the overexploitation of actively fished stocks and to impacts on non-commercial species as well. As a minimum, absolute bycatch limits must be set, and set at levels that will promote recovery.
The third measure is that DFO must protect habitats. Canada needs to accelerate the establishment of a network of marine protected areas. Currently, only 0.5% of Canada's waters are protected, far short of the government's commitment to establish representative marine protected area networks covering at least 10% of our oceans by 2012.
Identifying and protecting sensitive areas, such as coral forests or areas that serve as fish nurseries, are crucial for recovery as well. Fundamentally, protected area networks, properly designed and implemented, are an essential tool to deliver on recovery goals and the ecosystem-based management objectives. Healthy oceans depend on them.
While progress on establishing protected areas has been slow, there are some opportunities to act immediately.
For example, the minister could move swiftly to sign off on the eastern Scotian Shelf integrated management initiative, also known as ESSIM. He needs to sign off on the plan, which has been fully drafted now. It probably represents the most significant move towards involving all stakeholders in oceans management. It includes a plan for protected areas.
As well, three MPA-candidate areas have been formally recognized by DFO and other relevant government agencies as low-hanging fruit, and their designations have been promised for many years. They are ecologically outstanding and have strong local support. The government could live up to these commitments and swiftly establish the Bowie Seamount on the Pacific coast, the western Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, and Igaliqtuuq National Wildlife Area as protected areas.
What are the consequences of inaction or maintaining the status quo? Well, recently the world was shocked to learn that the collapse of all wild-harvested seafoods could become a reality before 2050 unless fisheries reforms are implemented. The study, published by Dr. Boris Worm in the journal Science, showed that the cause of this catastrophe is an ongoing decline in biodiversity resulting mainly from bad fisheries practices. This decline is reducing the ocean's ability to produce seafood, but also to resist disease, filter pollutants, and recover from stresses such as overfishing and climate change.
Canadians are acutely aware of the social and economic impacts such a disaster can produce. While it is obvious that we are on a dangerous path, the good news is that recovery of fish stocks is possible if measures are taken to promote and protect biodiversity.
WWF challenges this Parliament to help make the vision for Grand Banks recovery a reality by taking action now and delivering on Canada's commitments to oceans management.
I thank you for your time and your attention. I will be happy to discuss these issues with you.