Fisheries Policy and Environmental Governance in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Of the many policy sectors that bring an environmental dimension to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, fisheries play a leading role. This paper explores the changing context for fisheries management over the past generation. Drawing... [ view full abstract ]

Of the many policy sectors that bring an environmental dimension to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, fisheries play a leading role. This paper explores the changing context for fisheries management over the past generation. Drawing on the case of northern cod, several management structures are reviewed. Among the defining governance features are shifting licensing policies (including Aboriginal fisheries), shifting forums for public and harvester policy input, and overlapping policy effects that require boundary management (as between capture fishery and species at risk). This case forms part of a wider comparative survey of environmental governance in the Gulf.