Community Fisheries Management Handbook - Saint Mary's University

Job Creation
WHAT IS IT?
In community-based management, job creation is an effort to create (and
maintain) jobs in the fishing industry and in related industries to bring
greater economic stability to the entire community while at the same time
providing important services to the fishing industry.
Business opportunities in marine related services that support the fishery
and create non-fishing jobs include:
Ice plants and cold storage
Transportation services
Boat repair and supplies
Vessel inspection and insurance services
Catch monitoring services
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
One of the most important benefits the fishing industry can bring to the
wider non-fishing communities are jobs in the fishery and related industries.
In particular, for many First Nations communities, the new employment
opportunities stemming from participation in the commercial fishery
are as important as the revenue from the fishery itself.
There is clear interdependence between the fishing industry and its supporting
infrastructure. The fishing industry cannot function without harbours,
wharves and other shoreline industries. At the same time, harbours
and wharves will not be maintained and upgraded unless there is a viable
commercial fishery sector depending on this infrastructure.
The job creation impacts from community-based fisheries management
will be mainly local. Small increases in job availability or length of employment
can make big differences to individual households
HOW TO DO IT?
Inherently, community-based fisheries management creates more jobs
because it keeps more boats on the water, and keeps more licenses and
landings in the community. Additionally, many community-based organizations
try to maximize jobs and economic opportunity for the wider
community as part of their management activities.
Some approaches include:
Maximize employment. Maximizing employment opportunities requires
thinking of the fishing industry, rather than just about harvesting, so that
employment can be created in harvesting, handling, monitoring, research,
processing and marketing. The Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI has assisted
PEI First Nations which are seeking to maximize employment from the
fishery, thereby reducing dependency on social assistance for as many
households as possible. They expect this to be of greater long term benefit
to the community than merely generating maximum profits.
Extend the season. Inshore fisheries are traditionally multispecies fisheries
with harvesters switching gears over the course of a year depending on
markets and species availability. A longer, more diversified fishing season
maximizes the length of time harvesters are working and makes fishing a
more attractive option. Fishing organizations and management often work
to acquire and maintain fishing rights for as many species as possible, to
keep boats on the water longer.
Meet needs of fishers, but also of management. Community fisheries have
to sustain the fishers and pay the management costs. Build the costs of
managing the fishery into the fishery through membership fees, levies, or
other ways to make the fishery pay for itself. The Mi’kmaq Confederacy of
PEI assists First Nations communities to manage their fisheries to meet the
needs of fishers and their families, but also to generate enough money to
pay for the management of the fishery.
Including marketing in fisheries management plans. It is easier to promote
integration of fisheries and marketing when the marketing is already in-
C O M M U N I T Y F I S H E R I E S M A N AG E M E N T H A N D B O O K