A new federal audit report warns another fish species collapse could happen again under the watch of Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
"From my perspective, we are still at risk of having another stock potentially go into collapse, similar to what happened to the [Northern] cod," said Julie Gelfand, federal commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, who released the audit this week.
Working on behalf of the federal auditor general, the commissioner looked at the management of wild fisheries in Canada between 2013 and 2016 and concluded DFO lacked the key information it needed to manage major fish stocks.
Among the findings:
- Of 15 depleted stocks deemed "critical" because continued fishing poses a threat, the audit found only three had required rebuilding plans.
- Of the 154 major stocks, 44 were missing required integrated fish management plans, or those plans were out of date.
- The department failed to carry out planned scientific surveys due in part to mechanical problems on board coast guard vessels.
- There are "systemic" problems with fishery observer programs — a vital source of information on catches at sea.
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