The Sustainable Fish Harvest indicator is part of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program, which provides data and information to track Canada’s performance on key environmental sustainability issues.

The long-term maintenance of the ecological, social and economic value of fish stocks requires controlling harvest to avoid overexploitation. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in partnership with industry, implements plans, policies and programs to protect stocks, assist in long-term sustainability, and provide for the fair allocation and distribution of harvestable surpluses among those dependent on the resource, in accordance with the precautionary approach. This indicator measures compliance with harvest limits as a measure of pressures on wild fish stocks.

–Excerpt from the Introduction