On Thursday, January 21, 2016, the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM) met in Montreal to exchange views on a broad range of priorities, including marine protected areas, the Fisheries Act, market access for Canadian fish and seafood, and sustainable aquaculture development.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Hunter Tootoo, Federal Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Attendees included Ministers responsible for fisheries from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nunavut, along with representatives from Alberta, Manitoba, Yukon, and Quebec.
The Ministers exchanged views on key priorities such as: increasing the proportion of Canada’s marine and coastal areas that are protected, restoring funding to support federal ocean and freshwater science and monitoring programs, and reviewing the Fisheries Act, to improve protection for fish and fish habitat.
Other topics of discussion included market access for Canadian fish and seafood exports, labour availability, the economic value and potential of the aquaculture sector, aquatic invasive species damage, and others.
Officials in federal, provincial, and territorial governments agreed to work together to identify approaches to advance common goals and priorities in the coming months.
source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada