At a pre-budget consultation meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, before Canada's House of Commons on 2 February, Fisheries Council of Canada President Paul Lansbergen urged more federal financial support for Indigenous fishery reconciliation.
“The federal government has committed to furthering Indigenous reconciliation, so financial resources must be allocated to make meaningful progress,” Lansbergen said.
Lansbergen also noted his association’s additional pre-budget submission recommendations for more funding for fishery science and investments in fisheries innovation and sustainability initiatives.
“Canada is a water nation, and we have a role to play in the blue food movement,” Lansbergen said. “We need to support the fisheries industry with sufficient science to maximize sustainable use of the resource, and foster innovations that benefit both humans and the oceans."
The Fisheries Council of Canada’s vision and action plan lays out a pathway to sustainably double the value and economic benefits of Canadian seafood by 2040.
"Canada has the longest coastline in the world, and prioritizing fisheries science and innovation is critical to allow Canada to 'keep up,'” the FCC said in a press release after Lansbergen's testimony.
Ensuring the continued sustainability of marine resources is vital to feeding a growing global population, which is expected to hit 9.7 billion by 2050, according to the FCC.
Photo courtesy of Marina Poushkina/Shutterstock
