Archive for category: News

After a very successful Wave One Engagement, DFO’s Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program (FFHPP) is ready to undertake the next wave of engagement. FFHPP’s Wave Two Engagement is seeking input to continue modernizing and/or developing policies, frameworks, instruments, and guidance to further implement the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act.

The FFHPP Engagement Platform will house all engagement activities, provide participants with information and updates, and ensure all input and feedback will be directed to the FFHPP team.

Please visit the FFHPP Engagement Platform to register to participate in platform activities, and find new opportunities to participate, share, collaborate, and learn.

Registration Now Open for Canada Water Agency National and Regional Freshwater Policy Forums

The Government of Canada is creating a new Canada Water Agency to work together with the provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, local authorities, scientists and others to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean and well-managed. In December 2020, the Canada Water Agency discussion paper, Toward the Creation of a Canada Water Agency, was released. It presents key issues for consideration in the Government of Canada’s approach to creating a Canada Water Agency.

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Province releases sustainable bait management strategy

A decision was made on June 17, 2020 to proceed with Ontario’s Sustainable Bait Management Strategy. Following a 45-day comment period, as well as feedback received from previous engagement throughout the Bait Policy Review process, revisions were made to the draft strategy to create a revised Sustainable Bait Management Strategy.

This policy includes a variety of elements related to bait management in Ontario, including the movement of bait, personal harvest, permitted bait species, the use of bait in Brook Trout lakes, and aspects related to commercial bait operations.

The proposal will be implemented through amendments to the Ontario Fishery Regulations under the federal Fisheries Act, and Ontario Regulation 664/98 (Fish Licensing) under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

Most minnows native to North America are now considered family Leuciscidae (minnows). Family Cyprinidae (carps) includes Common Carp and Goldfish. Grass Carp, Silver Carp, Bighead Carp and Black Carp are family Xenocyprinidae (East Asian minnows). Recent phylogenetic analyses have resulted in several sub-families being recognized as full families. See Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3), Phylogenetic classification of extant genera of fishes of the order Cypriniformes (https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4476.1.4), and Phylogenetic relationships and classification of the Holarctic family Leuciscidae (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2018.06.026).