Main content

My Perfect Country: Canada

Episode 20 of 22

Is Canada鈥檚 catch share model for sustainable fishing a contender for an imagined utopia?

Fi Glover, Martha Lane Fox and Henrietta Moore from the Institute for Global Prosperity at University College London are building an imagined utopia made up of the best solutions to the world鈥檚 problems. They look at a sustainable fishing scheme in British Columbia in Canada called catch share, a quota system based on dedicating a secure share of fish to individual fishermen, co-operatives or fishing communities.

It means fishermen have the ability to catch a certain amount of fish each year and are responsible for not exceeding that amount, promoting stewardship of the seas.

Just outside Vancouver, local reporter Madeline Taylor goes to meet the fishermen who spearheaded the scheme at the British Columbia groundfish fishery, which has evolved over the last 40 years from an open access, high discard fishery to a full retention, fully monitored fishery that accounts for all catch whether retained or released.

Could it work elsewhere? With the help of Erin Priddle from the Environmental Defense Fund, the team discuss the achievements and shortcomings of this model for sustainable commercial fishing and whether it should be adopted as a policy for an imagined perfect country.

(Photo: A commercial fishing boat on British Columbia's West Coast. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 18 Feb 2018 09:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 14 Feb 2018 00:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Feb 2018 03:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Feb 2018 04:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Feb 2018 05:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Feb 2018 13:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Feb 2018 20:06GMT
  • Wed 14 Feb 2018 21:06GMT
  • Sun 18 Feb 2018 09:06GMT

Features: Ideas And Opinions For My Perfect Country

The big ideas on how to build a perfect country

What can digital technology do for your country?

Technology offers many potential futures, but how can those be beneficial for everyone?

The Documentary Podcast

The Documentary Podcast

Hear more documentaries from the 大象传媒 World Service

Podcast