Evaluating co-management of Lake Nipissing's fisheries

• Main Author: Ruszin, Natasha
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Walleye fisheries; Fishery co-management; Small-scale fisheries; Communication in fisheries; Indians of North America; Indigenous peoples; Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/100422

This research paper was completed and submitted at Nipissing University, and is made freely accessible through the University of Toronto’s TSpace repository Canada is widely recognized for its fisheries as the country is comprised of over two million lakes and rivers that flow into five major ocean drainage basins. Fishing has historically been identified as one of the country’s prominent recreational, commercial and subsistence activities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous users (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2012). However, tensions have been emerging due to conflicts over current management practices, how they are applied, and treaty obligations (Allain, 1996). Changes in fish stocks, users, and treaty obligations have led to the need to reassess management arrangements between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers. As an effort to alleviate these rising concerns, governments throughout Canada have considered working alongside Indigenous community members through co-management practices. Similar to other fisheries, Lake Nipissing has been experiencing increasing conflict amongst fishers, due to decreasing walleye populations, mutual mistrust between Indigenous and non-Indigenous users, and varying treaty interpretations that lead to uneven application of management measures. The goal for this research project is to evaluate the current management practices in place for the Lake Nipissing fishery, in particular, the co-management of the Lake’s fisheries by government and First Nations. This evaluation will be based on geographical setting, trends in the fishery, institutional setting, and how its success is measured. Based on the assessment, it is apparent that the government needs to continue working on building communal relations amongst fishers and ensure adequate funding for further management, monitoring, and research initiatives that are focused on recovering the fishery.