The economic, social, and historical importance of the fishing industry in Canada:
Economic: Fish as food, fish for controlling diseases, scientific value, and aesthetic value. Fish for food is important because the fish flesh is an excellent source of protein, has very little fat, carries a good amount of minerals and vitamins A and D and rich in iodine. Fish for controlling dieses is important because diseases like malaria, yellow fever and other diseases that are spread through mosquitoes can be controlled using fish. Larvivorous fish eat larva of mosquito. The important larvivorous fish are Gambusia, Panchax, Haplochitus, Trichogaster, etc. Scientific values of fish are important because some fish are of zoological importance due to their discontinuous distribution and anatomical features. The aesthetic value of fish is important because a large number of fish are cultured in aquarium for their beauty and graceful movements.
Social: When people go fishing, they catch fish and eventually sell the fish. When they sell the fish, they get money. With this money, they spend it on grocery stores, restaurants, movies, clothes, gas, etc. and which supports businesses. Fishing is very important for businesses and some small fishing towns completely rely on fishing.
Historical: The pull of the northwest Atlantic fishery first brought Europeans to this continent in large numbers. The salt cod industry provided a basis for Atlantic settlement. Its methods saw little change for hundreds of years. Relatively small boats generally fished locally, and dried the fish near the beach on wooden platforms (flakes). These factors favoured a string of settlements all along the coast, as still reflected on Atlantic road maps. Fishery is a kind of industry which is concerned with the catching, processing or selling of fish, shellfish (molluscs, each has a shell in two halves, used for food, e.g., mussels, oysters, etc.) and crustaceans.
Balance of trade and how it relates to the fishing industry:
Canada is not one of the top 10 fishing nations and is the world's leading exporters of fish due to the lack of fish Canadians eat. 80% of Canada's catch is exported. Fish exports are much greater than seafood imports which helps the balance of trade. In 2004, Canada made $4.4 billion on fish exports while only spending $2.2 billion on imports. The most important markets for Canada's fishing industry are; The United States, Western Europe and the Countries of the Pacific Rim (particularly Japan).
Inshore and Offshore Fishing:
Inshore Fishing: within 16km to 25km of shore
Offshore Fishing: To edges of continental shelf, up to 370 km from shore
Ground fish, Pelagic Fish, and Shellfish:
Ground Fish: Fish that feed and are caught near the ocean floor. (Cod, pollock, haddock, halibut, redfish, etc.)
Pelagic Fish: Fish that feed and are caught near the surface. (Salmon, herring, mackerel, tuna, caplin, etc.)
Shellfish: Animals without backbones but with hard protective shells. (Shrimp, lobster, oysters, scallops, mussels, etc.)