Canada’s independent environmental auditor says DFO remains in the dark when it comes to the data it needs to manage fisheries.
A report to Parliament this week by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development says the federal fisheries ministry has been slow to modernize how it collects and manages information. As well, DFO still hasn’t fulfilled commitments made during an audit seven years ago.
“Without dependable and timely catch data, the department does not have the important information it needs to support the sustainable management of fisheries, and it runs the risk that fish stocks are overexploited,” the report adds.
The audit found that because of information gaps, the fish catch information used by DFO managers was “to a large extent not dependable.”
