In search of effective management : case study of the British Columbia Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) fishery and lessons from domestic and international experience

• Main Author: Chudnow, Rachel
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2013
• Subjects: British Columbia; Canada; Snow crab
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/43842

Canadian fisheries such as the British Columbia Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) fishery face a number of complex economic, political, and ecological challenges. The situation has been compounded by the increased complexity of management frameworks and declining resources of the government body entrusted with the management of Canada’s fishery resources. This thesis looks for best practices to create effective management within Canadian fisheries through investigation of three key components of fisheries management: Maintaining an exploited stock’s biological sustainability; developing and maintaining industry-government relationships; and providing equitable financing for management activities. Chapter one provides a comparison of management strategies within the British Columbia Dungeness crab and Western Australia rock lobster fisheries. This investigation shows that effective management to address the current challenges within the Dungeness crab fishery can be developed but will require time, resources, and building of a strong industry- government relationship. The second chapter outlines many of the challenges impacting Canadian fisheries, highlighting the recent impacts of the “Larocque Decision”. A recent resolution to the Larocque Decision (Bill C-38) is then explored utilizing an analysis of the joint project agreement for the snow crab fishery in Area 19 in eastern Canada. This chapter shows that collaborative management to address the fallout from the “Larocque Decision” can be successfully developed under the current Canadian legislation. The chapter also demonstrates the limitations of current legislation in building such relationships and the fragility of collaborative frameworks built under the current regime. This thesis creates a list of the fundamental criteria needed to create effective management systems within fisheries, and concludes that collaborative management that creates a long-term true partnership between industry and government through a legislated process enhances the success of such management approaches.