Shellfish & Seaplants as Food

Lessons From and For Regulatory Reform

Dr. Jamie Baxter, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University / National Farmers Foundation

Find these slides online: https://webslides.baxterlab.ca/slides/conferences/2025-melaw/
Category: Conferences

What would it mean to regulate fisheries 🐟 as part of the food system🍴?

Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act, RSNS 1996, c25

2 The purpose of this Act is to …

(ca) recognize that the fish harvesting, fish processing and aquaculture industries are integral to the food system

Doelle-Lahey Report
Source: Province of Nova Scotia
“In developing our recommendations, we have been mindful that a regulatory system for Nova Scotia’s diverse aquaculture industry must reflect the differences between fin-fish and shell-fish aquaculture and between large and small business while strengthening the regulation of the industry in a comprehensive way.”
Oyster Production in NS
Source: Province of Nova Scotia Data

Source: Bianchi et al (2022)

What would it mean to regulate fisheries 🐟 as part of the food system🍴?

Community Food Security

Regulation that prioritizes access to healthy, safe and culturally-appropriate foods through a sustainable, resilient and equitable food system supporting community self-reliance (Hamm & Bellows, 2003).

Fisheries in the Food System:

  • System resilience requires harvesting/farming at multiple scales: scale de-biased regulatory regimes.

  • Production can’t be siloed from other food system nodes (processing, consumption, waste): polycentric and collaborative governance.

  • Community self-reliance comes from rebuilding direct relationships around food: regulating in the margins.