Diversity of commercial fisheries in the Canadian great lakes

Abstract

Abstract Seven distinct types of commercial fishery operations in Canadian waters of Lakes Erie and Ontario were evaluated. Investments ranged 8.5‐fold, yields 12‐fold by value and 31‐fold by weight, and fuel use 14‐fold. Large fisheries harvested more fish and grossed more money than smaller ones but their inputs were proportionately higher. Small‐scale operations were efficient in their use of energy and capital and created more employment than larger‐scale operations. Small‐scale fisheries are compatible with sustainable resource use planning, but management interventions, as detailed in the Great Lakes case, have not favored them. Reasons include political and economic weakness of these groups, and managers’ better understanding of and preference for larger‐scale operations. However, taking diversity into account and devising particular management actions may be significant in long‐term sustainable resource use.