The Nova Scotian Institute of Science is pleased to be co-hosting the lecture by Dalhousie Professor Jeffrey Hutchings, the 2017 recipient of the A.G. Huntsman Medal for Excellence in Marine Sciences. The NSIS is co-hosting this lecture with the Ocean Frontier Institute.The event will be held on Wednesday, 29 November 2017.at the Scotiabank Auditorium, Marion McCain Arts & Social Sciences Building at Dalhousie University beginning at 7 pm. This is a free event, open to the general public. A reception will follow at approximately 8 pm and light refreshments will be served.

Recovering Canada’s Marine Fish and Fisheries: the Roles of Science, Policy and Societal Will

Abstract: The collapse of Canadian Atlantic cod in 1992 spawned global research of the factors that affect marine fish recovery. Foremost was the need to stop overfishing. While some fish populations responded positively and quickly to reduced fishing, others did not. We now know that recovery depends on other factors, such as the magnitude of population reduction. The greater the depletion, the more likely a population will pass a ‘tipping-point’, making it more difficult for recovery to occur; small populations are less able to deal with unpredictable environments than large populations. Not all species have the same intrinsic ability to bounce back; the slower a fish’s pace of life, the slower and more uncertain the recovery. And the longer a population remains depleted, the greater the chance that the ecosystem will change in ways that are unfavourable for recovery. Compared to other developed countries, Canada’s recovery initiatives have been remarkably slow to develop and meaningfully implement. Recovering fish and fisheries is fundamental to strengthening the ability of Canada’s ocean ecosystems to adapt to future challenges posed by human activity.