Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has launched a CAD 5 million (USD 3.6 million; EUR 3.3 million) Indigenous Fisheries Monitoring Fund to support the efforts of indigenous groups to monitor fisheries and report catches to regulators.
“Indigenous harvesters have always made an important contribution to fishery monitoring and stewardship in Canada,” Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Diane Lebouthillier said in a statement. “This funding will support indigenous groups as they continue the important work of fishery monitoring, which is essential to effective fish stock management in Canada.”
Funding will be distributed to projects that help indigenous groups and communities participate in monitoring fisheries as required under the government’s Fishery Monitoring Policy and reporting catches of federally managed fish stocks.
The government has not set an application for the current fiscal year; applications will be approved and funded until the annual funding amount of CAD 1.2 million (USD 1.1 million; EUR 1 million) is reached. DFO is prioritizing single-year projects for the first round of funding. The government will set a formal deadline and evaluation period starting in fiscal year 2025-2026.
The fund will continue accepting applications through 31 December 2028.
“This funding will promote the sharing of best practices and fishery monitoring data, to better inform decision-making for sustainable fisheries and demonstrate collaborative management of federally regulated fish stocks and populations across Canada,” DFO said in a statement.
