Canada and Newfoundland sign Memorandum of Understanding on emerging fisheries development

Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and John Efford, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Newfoundland and Labrador, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will increase cooperation and coordination between the two governments in the development of emerging fisheries.

"I look forward to working with Newfoundland and Labrador on this initiative. I am very pleased with our combined effort to encourage fisheries diversification and to develop new economic opportunities for fishers in the region," said Mr. Dhaliwal. "This is a good example of federal-provincial collaboration and is consistent with the Agreement on Interjurisdictional Cooperation with Respect to Fisheries and Aquaculture that was signed last Fall."

Mr. Efford said: "This Memorandum of Understanding shows a commitment from both levels of government to the development of new, emerging species in our province and will allow my department to play a greater role in this important growth area in our fisheries. This is a welcome partnership with the federal government and we look forward to working with industry to create a more viable, stable fishery through diversification."

Both levels of government, who have made the development of emerging fisheries one of their priorities over the past couple of years, will facilitate the commercial growth of new or underutilized fish resources in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as encourage and support diversification initiatives beyond the experimental and developmental phases.

The MOU emphasizes the importance of conservation through a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach to developing emerging species. This new partnership will result in an improved decision-making process for fishery resource conservation and management by obtaining and sharing the best scientific information available. This includes efforts to develop data collection and research programs to assess the impact of fishing on non-target and associated or dependent species and their environment.

As a result of this MOU, a federal-provincial Emerging Fisheries and Seafood Diversification Committee will be established to coordinate the process and prepare an annual fisheries diversification work plan in support of the commercialization of new species opportunities. The committee will also make policy recommendations on developing new species.

The MOU is consistent with the Fisheries and Oceans Canada�s Policy on Emerging Fisheries, which is guided by the objectives of sustainability, viability and partnership.

Media contact: Heather Bala, Fisheries and Oceans, Minister�s Office, Ottawa, (613) 996-0076.

Sonia Glover-Sullivan, Communications, (709) 729-3733.

2000 01 31                                         11:05 a.m.