What we do
The Canadian Sablefish Association’s (CSA) mandate is to protect and manage the Sablefish stock and fishery for the benefit of BC Sablefish licence holders, our stakeholders and the consumer market. We do this by:
- Engaging in scientific research and ongoing monitoring to help ensure there will be a sustainable and healthy Sablefish stocks for generations to come.
- Protecting the BC Sablefish fishery to create a fair share of the resource in an environment of competing interests.
- Helping create an economically viable fishery.
- Protecting the value of the Sablefish.
- Continuing to strengthen and grow the Canadian Sablefish Association.
For over 30 years the Canadian Sablefish Association has formally partnered with DFO to make substantial investments in research, annual data collection, stock assessment and our leading-edge management strategy evaluation. This collaboration has helped to define co-management of the resource by industry and government.
Management strategy evaluation (MSE) is now regarded as the preferred method for designing and implementing sustainable harvest strategies. MSE is a disciplined process of defining objectives, considering alternative stock assessment models for uncertain stock and fishery dynamics, and evaluating candidate harvest strategies using computer simulation methods.
The Canadian Sablefish Association and its members are proud to support innovative scientific research and stock assessment, as well as ground-breaking fisheries management approaches. Our work has ensured that the Sablefish fishery meets the legal requirements of Canada’s Fisheries Act and is fully compliant with conservation and sustainable use requirements of Canada’s “Fishery Decision-Making Framework Incorporating the Precautionary Approach” policy.
