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In Canadian Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. commercial fisheries, a policy of selective fishing includes a mandatory release program intended to reduce impacts on vulnerable populations. However, there remain concerns of noncompliance with these regulations, potentially resulting in higher mortality of released fish than is accounted for. Though estimations of postrelease mortality have improved the management of commercial fisheries, the influence of fishers’ behavior is not directly considered by the regulatory framework. Additionally, perceptions of the selective fishing strategy have not been evaluated among fishers, despite knowledge that their acceptance of regulations is critical to successful management outcomes. We conducted 21 semistructured interviews with fishers from the commercial purse seine fleet for Pacific salmon about their perceptions of selective fishing, and found that attitudes towards regulations and managers are a primary determinant of compliance. We also found that greater incentives for selective fishing practices and improved communication among the fishing, management, and scientific communities would likely enhance support for management systems among members of the purse seine fleet.

In 2015, the Government of Canada committed to protecting 5% of marine and coastal 8 areas by 2017, and 10% by 2020. While admirable progress towards this target has been 9 made, less attention has been given to improving the quality of protection afforded to marine areas. Extensive scientific study supports that several factors are critical to the success of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for marine biodiversity conservation and management objectives, including no-take areas and prohibitions on extractive and industrial activities. However, the majority of Canada's MPAs allow extractive uses within their boundaries. As Canada works toward international and national commitments to marine protection targets, it is critical to consider the degree of protection afforded by the legal designations used to create these areas. This paper reviews the current inconsistent standards of protection across marine protected areas (MPAs) designated under the Oceans Act, Canada's flagship legislation for marine protection. Recommended amendments to the law include standards of protection that would exclude all extractive industrial activities from MPAs in order to better guide the designation and decisionmaking processes for marine protection.