Low water levels continue on some of the Great Lakes and are adversely affecting shipping. The risk of flooding, however, has been reduced. Fishing has been central to the way of life in Atlantic Canada. A ruling by Canada's Supreme Court and various interpretations of that ruling has now seen conflict levels increase between different fishing groups. Native fishers suggest that the ruling means that regulations that apply to other groups do not apply to them.
Commercial fishers disagree with that view.
In order to protect Canadian forest species, a lot of programs have been initiated. The ban on the use of insecticides in Quebec is a major concern to scientists. They fear that the spruce budworm which destroyed 4 million hectares of forest in the province 20 years ago will reappear. The federal government of Canada is concerned about the effects of mining on the environment. In Atlantic Canada, which has about 40 producing mining sites, several attempts have been made to reduce the impacts of mining on the environment.