Great Lakes Commercial Fisheries
The Laurentian Great Lakes are home to North America’s largest freshwater commercial fishery, and many Indigenous fisheries that harvest for food, economic, social, and ceremonial purposes. Once an industrial engine of Great Lakes economies, these fisheries have slowly disappeared from nearly all public view, with only a few ports still known for their commercial fishing fleets. Though the Ontario and Canadian public still enjoy the tradition of eating fried perch or pickerel by the lakes in the summer, fewer and fewer people are aware of the people who bring those fish to their plates.
This research program investigates the cultures, livelihoods, challenges, and opportunities that make up Great Lakes commercial fisheries on the Canadian side of the border. This work got started in 2020 when Hannah visited the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association annual meeting, and now is a rapidly growing part of the FishPeoplePlace lab’s work.
Keep reading to learn more about our current work and opportunities.
Hannah Harrison rides a commercial fishing tug on Lake Erie in 2021. Photo by Johnny C.Y. Lam.
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Last Boat on the Lake - Documentary Film
Release date: February 25, 2025!
Last Boat on the Lake is a ~1 hour documentary film that gives an intimate portrait of Great Lakes commercial fish harvesters in Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation on Lake Huron/Georgian Bay. Filmed over the course of four years, the film follows the challenges and triumphs of commercial fish harvesters as they struggle against invasive species, weather, a difficulty finding a new generation to take up this timeless trade. This film is available to watch online (for free) by clicking the button below. -
Understanding Barriers to Entry for Canadian Great Lakes commercial fisheries
Canadian Great Lakes commercial fisheries are a unique set of Indigenous and settler fisheries that serve an important role in regional diets, culture, and livelihoods. Yet, they are slowly disappearing from the public view and face a spectrum of challenges, including the ‘greying of the fleet’ , disappearing working waterfronts, invasive species, and for Indigenous fishers ongoing problems with racism and prejudice.
Funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission through the Fishery Research Programme, this project will work in partnerships with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and researchers at Dalhousie and Queen’s Universities to investigate barriers to entry for new and young potential entrants to these fisheries. This interdisciplinary project will use economic, social, and cultural lenses to understand what is keeping the next generation from taking up the mantle of these fisheries, and how that might threaten jobs, communities, and local diets in years to come.
This project is currently recruiting a PhD student to start in 2026. Click the button below to learn more.