REGULATING ACCESS IN CANADAS INLAND FISHERIES

Uncontrolled access in Canada's inland fisheries has served neither the resource manager's interest in protecting fish stocks nor the economists' interest in promoting the most efficient use of all factors of production, including fisheries resources. Economically accessible fisheries have generally attracted more labor and capital than is required to harvest the productive potential of fisheries resources. As a result, costs of production are high in relation to the value of production and profit margins have been eroded. Of equal importance, a return from the resource in the form of a resource rent has been foregone. Access control and a price system represent management options to control excess fishing effort, promote economic efficiency in the deployment of private and public resources, and promote fiscal accountability in government. -Author