News Release - September 20, 2001

NR-C&A-01-01E

Federal and Prairies Ministers Sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Fisheries Science, Joint Communiqué

Toronto, Ontario - The Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced with prairie provincial ministers, the Honourable Mike Cardinal, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management and the Honourable Oscar Lathlin, Manitoba Conservation, a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the governments on the prioritizing of fisheries science activities in the prairie provinces and improving collaboration and cooperation.

The Ministers agreed that federal and provincial science priorities should be coordinated, where possible, to ensure the most effective science programs are delivered in each jurisdiction.

A Federal-Prairie Provinces Fisheries Science Team will be established to identify the common fisheries science needs and priorities of participating organizations. The needs and priorities will cover topics such as habitat productivity, physical habitat alteration and destruction and remediation, chemical contaminants in the environment, exotic species, stock assessment, fishery management issues, species at risk, aquaculture and fish health.

This MOU will commence on September 20, 2001.

The MOU is available on the Internet at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/regions/central/media/news-presse/science_mou-pde_e.htm

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For more information:
Sharon Leonhard
Director of Communications
Central and Arctic Region
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 983-5108