SAFEGUARD FORAGE FISH - Oceana Canada

SAFEGUARD FORAGE FISH

Small and mighty: The ocean’s unsung heroes

Protect capelin, mackerel, herring and other essential forage fish

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Overview

Forage fish are essential for biodiverse oceans, abundant fish populations, and thriving coastal communities.

The majority of forage fish in Canada are unhealthy or lack indicators to determine their health status. Canada manages 16 major forage fish stocks including important populations of capelin, herring, and mackerel. Some of these populations have been depleted for decades yet continue to be commercially fished, with implications reverberating across ecosystems.

Forage fish play a vital role in communities and the ocean, transferring energy through the food web on both land and sea. These tiny fish support many species that ‘forage’ for them. Forage fish feed whales and seabirds, commercially important populations of salmon and cod as well as providing a key source of bait for lobster and crab fisheries. Coastal communities and Indigenous Peoples need herring and eulachon off the Pacific coast as well as mackerel, capelin, and gaspereau in the Atlantic for food security and culture.

Oceana Canada is working to safeguard forage fish, fighting for modern fisheries management that prioritizes the health of the ecosystem and allows for the pairing of Indigenous Knowledge Systems with Western science. Canada must ensure enough fish are left in the water to keep populations healthy and abundant, supporting thriving ecosystems and sustainable commercial fisheries. It’s time for Canada to prioritize the biological wealth of forage fish — the immense ecological value and productivity far beyond their size or commercial price tag.

Take Action

Close the commercial capelin fishery

Tell the government to follow the science, listen to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and close the commercial capelin fishery!

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FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Zero-Waste World Cup in 2026

Oceana Canada is working with stadiums, beverage companies, and governments to make the FIFA World Cup 26TM in Canada the greenest games yet. Ditching the landfill-bound, single-use cups for ones that can be reused again and again means sustainability can become a permanent part of our stadiums, long after the final whistle.

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CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Stop Plastic Pollution

Restore Capelin Abundance

Protect North Atlantic Right Whales

Rebuild Ocean Abundance

Protect Marine Habitat

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Oceana Canada Headquarters
18 King Street East, Suite 505
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4

Phone: +1 (416) 583-2350
Email: info@oceana.ca

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Oceana Canada operates in many regions across Canada. From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities that call this land home, and we strive for our work to be done in a spirit of collaboration and reconciliation.

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