The Canadian Fisheries Industry: Retrospect and Prospect

Abstract

Without question, Canadian domestic policy has had an influence on the development of the fisheries staple industry – from its National Policy to its subsidization of both fishers and, more recently its effort to conserve of fish stocks. In this respect Laxer is correct in allocating “blame” for the current dire status of the fisheries industry where it is, in part, due: on the Canadian government itself. However, it is also the case that trade liberalization, from the pressures exerted early on by the colonizing country of Britain, to the current dependency upon the US market for fish exports, has played an enormous role on the development, if not devastation of the industry. In this respect the Canadian government could have done much more in the way of first recognizing the severity of fish stock depletion as well as fostering a sustainable fisheries industry that met the needs of conservation and fisher communities