Fisheries and Oceans Canada extends transition period for Quebec fish harvesters accreditation

Quebec City, Quebec - The deadline for Quebec fish harvesters to use a new accreditation method for acquiring a fishing enterprise has been extended to December 31, 2019.

 

Extending the deadline to December 31, 2019 will allow the Bureau d'accréditation des pêcheurs et des aides-pêcheurs du Québec (BAPAP) to modernize its regulations, and further supports the transition to a modern professionalization system that meets the needs of the Quebec fishing industry.

 

On April 1, 2016, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) began harmonizing accreditation methods for commercial fish harvesters purchasing a fishing business. Under the new system, new or assistant fish harvesters can only acquire a fishing enterprise if they have been issued a certificate from BAPAP to manage a fishery enterprise. Previously harvesters were required to provide supporting evidence that they had fished commercially, regularly for two consecutive years, and had respected the fishing time period prescribed by the industry.

 

Until December 31, 2019, both methods will be accepted to be eligible for acquiring a fishing enterprise.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.