A campaign of the Canadian Independent Fish Harvester's Federation

The Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation is the national advocacy organization for Canada’s independent, owner-operator fish harvester organizations. Its main objective is to protect and strengthen policies that place independent fish harvesters as the cornerstone of Canada’s fisheries.

The Federation believes that there should be consistent national commercial fishing licencing policies that ensure the benefits of Canada’s abundant and valuable fishery resources return to the people who actually fish. We believe that the independent, owner-operator approach to fishing provides the best socio-economic and conservation returns to Canada and more importantly to its coastal fishing communities.

In British Columbia - where no policies exist to protect owner-operators or the interests of fishing communities - fishing licences and quotas have been concentrating in the hands of fish processors and other investors undermining the economic viability of fishing as a profession and the economies of fishing communities . In BC the Federation and its members advocate for equal treatment for BC harvesters and giving them the opportunity to develop policies to ensure that the benefits of fishing licences and quotas flow to active, independent fish harvesters living in fishing communities.

To learn more about the work of the Federation, visit www.fed-fede.ca.