It has been an interesting two weeks since my last column with some good and bad news mixed in. On the good news front I was invited last week to attend the launch of a new organization called Fish Forward. The name itself had me intrigued since we already have a non-profit in Manitoba named Fish Futures. I was even on the original board when it formed in 1989.
November 24, 2022, WINNIPEG—“Fish Forward” was launched at SMITH Restaurant today by provincial, national and international organizations who are working together to ensure that Manitoba lakes are sustainably fished, Manitoba fisheries are safeguarded for future generations, and Manitoba businesses are serving local fish that comes from increasingly sustainable sources.
Fish Forward encourages and supports Manitoba fisheries to achieve and maintain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-certification and connects them with industry partners such as restaurants, stores, fish buyers and food service providers who are seeking to source fish products from sustainable fisheries, an identified need in the marketplace.
Guests at the launch of Fish Forward were served MSC certified sustainable lake fish from the Cedar Lake Walleye and Northern Pike Fisheries in Chemawawin Cree Nation, that achieved MSC certification earlier this month.
“In 10 years, fisheries won’t be able to sell fish that isn’t eco-certified,” said Floyd George, President of the Cedar Lake Walleye and Northern Pike Fisheries. “Achieving MSC certification and working with Fish Forward helps us reach new buyers and make sure the fishing industry is alive and well for generations to come.”
Cedar Lake Fishery and Waterhen Lake in Skownan First Nation (the Métis communities of Mallard, Rock Ride and the Village of Waterhen) are now the only sources of MSC certified sustainable northern pike in the world.
“Skownan First Nation has always practiced sustainable fishing,” said Wesley Catcheway, President of Waterhen Lake Fishers in Skownan First Nation. “Eco-certification helps us to maintain the practices passed on from our elders, watch how much we catch and make sure we don’t hurt the lake.”
Waterhen Lake was the first freshwater fishery in Manitoba and Canada and the second in the world to achieve eco-certification in 2014. Waterhen Lake was recertified in 2020.
“This partnership was formed because the players saw gaps and challenges that were inhibiting Manitoba fisheries from embarking on eco-certification,” said Dimple Roy, Director of Water Management at International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD). “Fish Forward is designed around the needs of fisheries, helping them navigate the process and providing supports along the way.”
“We urgently need solutions that will allow us to feed the world while protecting the planet and safeguarding livelihoods. Sustainable, aquatic foods hold incredible potential,” said Kurtis Hayne, Program Director of the MSC in Canada. “Partnerships like Fish Forward are instrumental in encouraging and rewarding both sustainable fishing and consumption.”
More information on Fish Forward is available on the partnership’s new website.
We see a future where our lakes are sustainably fished, our fisheries are safeguarded for future generations, and our local businesses are serving Manitoba fish that comes from increasingly sustainable sources.
Fish Forward is a partnership of provincial, national and international organizations working to ensure the sustainability of Manitoba’s fisheries.
The organizations leading Fish Forward are: Indigenous Services Canada, the Province of Manitoba, the Marine Stewardship Council and the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Indigenous Services Canada’s support for Fish Forward is part of the broader Indigenous Inland Commercial Fisheries Initiative (IICFI). The IICFI brings together federal, provincial and Indigenous partners in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to sustain and grow the Indigenous commercial fishing industry. The IICFI is funded through the Indigenous Services Canada’s Strategic Partnerships Initiative program.
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For more information, please contact:
Sumeep Bath
Editorial & Communications Manager
IISD Experimental Lakes Area
The International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD), and the UN Environmental Program issued separate reports with a common conclusion: limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires an immediate halt to new fossil fuel development.
The 2022 Canadian Prairie Water Retention Monitoring and Modelling Workshop brought together experts in the field to share research and identify next steps in the areas of advancing water retention science and business case development. This report summarizes the nine workshop presentations and discussion session held.
There is an agreed-upon need for continued and more comprehensive monitoring efforts for water retention in the Canadian Prairies.
There are still plenty of opportunities to optimize the ways in which we engineer, manage, and quantify the primary and co-benefits of water retention systems simultaneously.
Technologies like spectral sensors are being used to advance the state of the art in water retention monitoring and modelling.
On June 23, 2022, The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) hosted a full-day virtual workshop on monitoring and modelling for water retention projects across the Canadian Prairies. The meeting was designed to be a place to share, receive feedback, and determine collaboration opportunities with respect to existing, ongoing, or proposed water retention projects. Participants from government and non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry were all invited to participate. In total, the workshop provided nine different presentations for 20 attendees and ended with a discussion session to identify opportunities and next steps in the areas of advancing water retention science and business case development. Presentations ranged from foundational historical research, like for those water retention structures monitored as part of the Watershed Evaluation of Beneficial Management Practices (WEBs) program, to how technologies like spectral sensors are being used to advance the state of the art in water retention monitoring and modelling today. This document summarizes those talks and key takeaways from the workshop's final discussion session.
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger’s home community of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is in what she calls a “sacrifice zone.” The nation borders the oil production epicentre of Canada: the oilsands, which leak toxic chemicals and wreak havoc on local ecosystems.
Fish Forward is a partnership of provincial, national, and international organizations—all working together toward the shared goal of ensuring the sustainability of Manitoba's fisheries.
While each individual partner organization—including the International Institute for Sustainable Development—has a unique role to play in ensuring a healthy fishing ecosystem in Manitoba, the sum of the partners represents something greater.
Fish Forward invites anyone to get involved at any level, whether it means making a better choice in the grocery store or at a restaurant, choosing to pursue certification, or simply searching out information on sustainable fishing.
We all have a role to play in ensuring the sustainability of our fisheries.
Want to learn more?
Be sure to visit our website at fishforward.ca or take a look at the short video below to discover how you can get involved.
A COP 27 event marked the Glasgow Statement’s one-year anniversary by urging Germany, Italy, Canada, and the United States to live up to climate promises that could shift US$28 billion per year from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Canadian oil and gas companies were in Egypt last week for the global climate summit COP27 — among some 636 fossil fuel lobbyists — to position themselves as leaders in industry emissions reductions at an event hosted by the Canadian government.
Canadian oil and gas companies were in Egypt last week for the global climate summit COP27 — among some 636 fossil fuel lobbyists — to position themselves as leaders in industry emissions reductions at an event hosted by the Canadian government.
From densely developed cities and geometric agricultural plots to the ubiquitous roadways, pipelines and power grids, an aerial view of the earth reveals our impact on our landscapes. In less populated areas, unprecedented glacial melt and deep craters caused by the thawing of frozen soil and rock called permafrost megaslumps give stark reminders of the ongoing climate crisis.
