The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for fisheries in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia is almost back to the level before the groundfish collapse of the early 1990’s, but a new study suggests that it may mask great underlying problems, as it did two decades ago.
The report, published by the Nova Scotia-based GPIAtlantic organisation, highlights six ecological and three socioeconomic/institutional key indicators meant to provide a multi-dimensional framework for interpreting the sustainability of surrounding fisheries.
One such ecological indicator is the size of the groundfish stocks in the region: the cod biomass shows no sign of recovery after the collapse, while the haddock and pollock stocks show limited recovery.
Lobster landings, another indicator, have increased nearly five-fold since the 1970’s, which may be explained by an increased fishing effort, due to the groundfish collapse. Most recently, however, lobster landings in Nova Scotia suddenly dropped to 70% of the 2006 record level in 2007, returning to the lower levels of the 1990s.
The study also found remaining threats to marine mammals and sharks and rays.
As for another indicator, shellfish closures, the report said they had increased steadily since 1940, and has more than doubled since 1985, indicating worsening marine environmental quality.
“Overall, the results are cause for concern with respect to the state of Nova Scotia‘s marine Ecosystems”, the report concluded, adding that “unsustainable fishing practices have depleted fish stocks, some of which show little or no sign of recovery”. “The structure and function of marine food-webs have been altered and populations of many large predators at the top of the food chain have been severely depleted. Marine biodiversity in the region is under threat from human activity, with some species facing extinction”, it warned.
“With Nova Scotia‘s fisheries and marine environment being the backbone of many of the province‘s largest industries, bringing in millions of dollars in revenue for the province each year, a deterioration in the ecological health of the marine environment will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the province‘s economy and society as a whole”, the report concluded.
As for the socioeconomic side, the number of fishers in Nova Scotia experienced a high around the collapse some 20 years ago, and has far from returned to those levels. The age profile has changed, as well, with the proportion of old fishers increasing and young fishers decreasing.
The GDP for Nova Scotia fisheries decreased by almost half after the collapse, but is now back to nearly 80 per cent of the 1992 level. The report emphasised that as well as a steady pre-collapse GDP masked a critical decline in groundfish stocks, it is now important to compare GDP to actual sustainable levels.
Saying that, and making the reservation that the overall picture is a complex one, the report finally concludes that, for the particular fish stocks examined, “the indicators show clear examples in which biomass, natural capital and fish condition do not reflect sustainable management”, with ecological resilience threatened “as Nova Scotia fishes down the food chain with the catch focusing on decreasing trophic levels”, and “several marine species at risk remain in danger of extirpation or extinction”.
“From the socioeconomic perspective, there are also some negative signals concerning resilience of Nova Scotia‘s fishery, with a major shift in the age structure of the fishing population”, and “concerns about equity in the fishery, as indicated by a comparison of two indicators: a decrease in employment and a rising fishery GDP. This means fewer Nova Scotians are sharing the growing monetary output from the fishery”, it added.
The GPIAtlantic is an independent, non-profit research and education organisation committed to the development of the Genuine Progress Index (GPI) as a new measure of sustainability.