SILVER HAKE: DEVELOPING A FISHERY FOR CANADIANS

Canadian fishermen and companies are making positive gains in the fishery for silver hake, a small, deep-swimming groundfish found in abundance in Canadian waters on the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia. The long-term goal for the silver hake fishery is full Canadianization, in other words, Canadian fishermen catching silver hake on Canadian vessels and processing it in Canadian facilities.

A SHORT HISTORY

Directed fishing for silver hake began in 1962 after Soviet scout vessels found worthwhile amounts of the small groundfish. As many as several hundred ships from the USSR and other eastern European nations arrived each year to catch silver hake, often in mixed fisheries close to the boundary of Canada's 12-mile territorial waters.

With the introduction of a 200 nautical mile zone for Canada's coastal waters in 1977, a sharply reduced number of foreign vessels had to face a strict array of controls.

These included restrictions on the number of vessels, areas fished and the amount of traditional groundfish species (e.g. cod, haddock, pollock and halibut) allowed to be caught by foreign vessels as bycatch. Also, foreign vessels had to carry and pay for Canadian observers, as well as paying other fees.

Between 1977 and 1990, an average of forty foreign vessels, mostly from Cuba and the former USSR, were licensed by Canada to fish silver hake off Nova Scotia each year.

Since 1990 there has been an effort to Canadianize the silver hake fishery. This has been done by encouraging research in catching, processing, and marketing and by allotting developmental allocations to Canadian enterprises. Even small inshore draggers experienced success in 1995 in catching and landing silver hake on a commercial basis in the Scotia-Fundy Sector of the Maritimes Region. The larger part of the annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for silver hake has been allocated to Canadian interests, most of which will contract large foreign vessels to catch their allocations. In fact, the allocation of silver hake to foreign vessels has dropped, from over 50 per cent of the TAC in 1990, to about 25 per cent in 1995.

By 1993 there were only 25 vessels from Russia and Cuba in Canadian waters, and all but 5 of them were actually fishing for Canadian enterprises. In 1995 only 11 Cuban vessels were inside the Canadian 200 mile zone to catch silver hake, and 10 of them were fishing for Canadian enterprises.

The requirement that foreign vessels' groundfish bycatch be landed ashore in Canada has increased shore-based employment in Nova Scotia towns like Port Mouton and Canso, and landing requirements for the catch of silver hake have also resulted in the development of new markets for this species.

CONTROLS ON FOREIGN FISHERMEN

Increased restrictions through the years have brought fishing practices of foreign vessels fishing in Canadian waters in line with conservation requirements. Any foreign vessel wanting to enter our 200 mile zone to fish is subject to Canadian regulations and conditions of licenses.

Foreign vessels fishing silver hake are restricted to the "Silver Hake Box", away from most domestic fisheries. There is a minimum mesh-size limit of 60 mm, and they must use a "separator grate" (since 1993) with a 40 mm space between the bars to prevent the capture of traditional groundfish species. These foreign vessels cannot retain most regulated species such as lobster, tuna, or swordfish.

Canadian fisheries observers are placed on board all vessels to monitor fishing activities and the levels of bycatch of traditional groundfish species. If permitted bycatch levels are exceeded (which rarely happens now that separator grates are mandatory), the vessels are ordered to leave the area. Foreign vessel owners have paid the costs of these Canadian observers since 1987.

The "Silver Hake Box" was modified to the advantage of Canadian fishermen, in 1994, by moving the northern boundary from the 100 metre contour of the Scotian Shelf to the 190 metre contour. This was done to further reduce incidental capture of haddock in 4VWX.

The bycatch limits for silver hake vessels for cod, haddock, and pollock are:

• Cod in 4X; one half-of-one per cent (0.5%) of the weight of silver hake caught.
• Haddock in 4W and 4X; one half-of-one per cent (0.5%) of the weight of silver hake caught.
• Pollock in 4VW; two per cent (2%) of the weight of the silver hake caught.

BETTER SYSTEMS FOR AVOIDING AND RESOLVING GEAR CONFLICTS

Foreign vessels fishing silver hake in Canadian waters must now carry English-speaking personnel who must be available at all times on deck. This requirement facilitates communications between the foreign fleet and Canadian vessels and helps to prevent gear conflicts. DFO also provides the services of a coordinator, who will be stationed aboard a foreign vessel for the duration of the fishery. A system for communicating the location and time of gear set in the " Silver Hake Box" is now in place. Foreign vessels must make every effort to avoid running into properly marked gear set in their immediate areas of operation.

DOMESTIC EXPERIMENTAL COMMERCIAL FISHERY

Since silver hake is one of the most abundant groundfish resources in our Region, a number of small-scale experiments have been carried out in recent years to determine the viability of small inshore draggers in catching and landing silver hake as a commercial product.

In 1995, inshhore vessels (under 65 ft.) conducted a successful commercial silver hake fishery in the Emerald and LaHave Basin areas, where there is believed to be a year-round accessibility to the fish. Participation by inshore vessels in harvesting silver hake on a commercial basis will increase in 1996, thus further advancing the objective of fully Canadianizing this fishery.

The Silver Hake Canadianization Committee has been formed to accelerate the development of a Canadian fishery for silver hake. Representation includes members from a number of fishermen's organizations and other interested parties.

DEPARTMENTAL CONTACT:

Communications Branch

Fisheries and Oceans

Halifax, N.S.

(902) 426-3550