A lobster fisherman prepares to set a lobster trap in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. The decline of fin fish in recent decades has led to a rapid increase in the value and importance of lobster and crab fisheries throughout the Northwestern Atlantic.
A blue shark swims off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, its mouth scarred by the removal from a long line hook. It is estimated that 10-20 million blue sharks are killed annually as a result of fishing, often caught unintentionally in tuna and swordfish fisheries.
Fishes take shelter below a fish aggregating device, also known as a FAD. Illegal in many areas, FADs are used by fishing boats to capture large quantities of larger fish, like tunas, that are attracted to the fish that take shelter around the raft.
In 2018 Eel Ground First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada, was granted a quota to harvest 50,000 striped bass. In a community that faces structural poverty and the ongoing legacy of colonialism, that allocation stands to make a real difference. Filled, the bass quota is worth over a million dollars to Eel Ground, where 40% of the population doesn’t have secure access to food.
Tony Lewis’ weir in Five Islands, Nova Scotia has been in continuous operation since the mid 19th century. His is one of the last traditional weirs in the Minas Basin.
A fishery scientist tests the new design of a trawl net at the Fisheries and Marine Institute in St. John's, Newfoundland. Innovations in fishing technology aim to reduce the amount of bycatch and improve the sustainability of fisheries.
Renowned marine biologist, Dr. Boris Worm, investigates a catch of cod fish off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The catch is part of a new fishery that hopes to find sustainability in the wake of the historic cod collapse that crippled the regions economy in the 1990's.
Young children stand with a dead blue shark that was killed in a recreational sport fishing competition in Nova Scotia, Canada.
A shark is butchered at a fishing wharf in Nova Scotia, Canada. Over 150 million sharks are killed by humans annually. It is estimated that shark populations have declined by 90% worldwide.
A team of researchers from Dalhousie and Acadia University place an acoustic transmitter directly into the abdomen of an Atlantic Sturgeon. From May to October each year, about 9000 sturgeon migrate into the Minas Basin from across the eastern seaboard. The tag will record the fishes movements along the journey, helping to inform management decisions.
Sport fisherman pose with a giant bluefin tuna caught off Prince Edward Island, Canada. Overfishing has caused the decline of bluefin tuna throughout the world. The fishery in Atlantic Canada aims to strike a balance between commercial exploitation and conservation.
Fisherman offload a fresh catch of Canadian snow crab in the port of Shippigan, New Brunswick, Canada. The fishery has come under fire for its impact on the endangered North Atlantic right whale, but new innovations could help improve the fisheries reputation.