Overfishing in Canada and the United States: A Comparative Study of Policy and Legislation ...

• Main Author: Hutter, Joseph
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Faculty of Graduate Studies 2015
• Subjects: Canada; atlantic cod; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/prism/30047; https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/51663

The purpose of this Capstone project was to first explore the causes of overfishing, then to explore how the issue is both viewed and dealt with in terms of policy and legislation in two highly comparable jurisdictions: Canada and the United States. The research draws to attention that there is a distinct lack of effective coastal commercial fisheries management in Canada and when compared to the United States, the degree of mismanagement becomes even more apparent. It is discovered that despite the magnitude of the collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery in Newfoundland, Canada has still yet to develop sufficient policy and legislation to effectively combat the ongoing issue of overfishing in coastal Canadian waters. This is sharply contrasted by U.S. fisheries management under the federal Magnuson-­‐ Stevens Act that by nearly all accounts has been monumental in the country’s progress in controlling overfishing. Researching the causes of overfishing and comparing fisheries policy and legislation in both ...