Rebuilding Canada’s Fisheries is Key to Ocean Recovery and Coastal Prosperity

2025 Fishery Audit shows one-third of depleted fish stocks have rebuilding plans; federal action still needed to protect oceans, the economy, and coastal communities

OTTAWA, Ontario, traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People, Nov. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new audit of Canada’s fisheries shows that science-based management and Indigenous collaboration can help rebuild depleted fish populations — but only if the federal government acts urgently and consistently to close long-standing gaps.

The 2025 Fishery Audit — Oceana Canada’s ninth annual assessment of federally managed marine fisheries — reveals both progress and persistent weaknesses in Canada’s efforts to rebuild ocean abundance. Thirty-four per cent of critically depleted fish stocks now have rebuilding plans, and transparency around climate change considerations has improved, yet the overall picture remains troubling. One-third of all stocks have an uncertain health status, another third are depleted, and the majority remain unprotected under the rebuilding provisions of the Fisheries Act, which are intended to prevent long-term depletion.

“Healthy fish stocks are a strategic asset for Canada’s seafood economy and global leadership,” said Rebecca Schijns, fishery scientist, Oceana Canada. “Amid economic uncertainty, climate volatility, and global trade friction, the federal government must accelerate progress in delivering well-managed fisheries. Canada cannot afford stagnation when prosperity is within reach.”

Why Rebuilding Matters
Canada’s fisheries are a cornerstone of the ocean economy, employing more than 72,000 people and generating $4.6 billion annually. Healthy fisheries are essential for:

Providing long-term certainty and access for harvesters and coastal communities that rely on fishing.
Improving food security, restoring biodiversity, and building climate resilience.
Positioning Canada as a global leader in low-carbon protein.

Accelerating fish stock recovery is also fiscally prudent: rebuilding reduces long-term losses, strengthens coastal resilience, and supports communities during periods of economic and climate disruption.

Critical Gaps

Fish stock health remains weak. One-third of marine fish and invertebrate populations are critically depleted or in the cautious zone, and another third are still classified as uncertain.
Rebuilding action is too slow. Twelve new rebuilding plans in 2025 now cover one-third of critical stocks, and their implementation is driving better decisions. Yet, legal requirements still apply to only 30 of nearly 200 federally managed fish populations. Delays increase losses and inflate future recovery costs.
Science still sidelined in key decisions: Several 2025 quota decisions departed from scientific advice, including doubling the northern cod quota — a move that carries a 71 per cent probability of the stock declining within three years, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s assessment.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems lack meaningful inclusion: Although collaborative successes like the Haida Gwaii Pacific herring rebuilding plan show the value of pairing Indigenous Knowledge Systems with Western science, clear policy changes are needed to enable inclusive, holistic management.
Forage fish and climate change gaps put fisheries and ecosystems at risk. Half of key forage fish stocks, including capelin and Atlantic herring, lack essential reference points. In 2024, 90 per cent of forage fish landings came from critical, cautious, or uncertain stocks. Forty-three per cent of stocks lack climate considerations, and most lack climate-ready management measures.

Oceana Canada’s recommendations to Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson
To reverse declines and accelerate a national comeback for wild fisheries, Oceana Canada recommends the Minister prioritize:

Fisheries sustainability: Protect all federally managed stocks under the Fish Stocks provisions of the Fisheries Act to strengthen science-based management and enhance Canada’s credibility in global fisheries trade.
Ecosystem approach: Expand the Forage Species Policy to all forage fish to rebuild the foundation of the ocean food web that supports commercial fisheries and long-term productivity.
Indigenous reconciliation: Include Indigenous Knowledge Systems in law, policy, and collaborative fisheries management agreements.
Precautionary approach and climate adaptation: Invest in timely stock assessments, monitor all catches, assign status to all uncertain stocks, and build climate-resilient fisheries.
Transparency and accountability: Publish timely management plans and advisory records, ensuring broad, equitable participation in fisheries decision-making.

“Delivering on these actions will turn Canada’s laws and commitments into tangible rebuilding on the water,” Schijns said. “It’s a necessary strategy to protect the fishing industry and restore biodiversity, food security, and the cultural fabric of communities that depend on fish.”

Access the full findings
Download the full 2025 Fishery Audit and detailed findings at www.oceana.ca/RebuildAbundance.

Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana Canada has successfully campaigned to ban single-use plastics, end the shark fin trade, make rebuilding depleted fish populations the law, improve the way fisheries are managed and protect marine habitat. We work with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples, and the federal government to return Canada’s formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada’s oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits, and protect our future. Find out more at Oceana.ca.

Media contacts: Vaishali Dassani, Oceana Canada, vdassani@oceana.ca, 647-294-3335;
Rose-Marie Ménard, Pilot PMR, rosemarie.menard@pilotpmr.com, +1-579-622-9925.
Media assets available here.

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