Commercial redfish fishery, which has been under a moratorium since 1995 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is about to reopen. Since the 1990s, the social-ecological system (SES) of redfish (Sebastes spp.) fishery in Quebec has undergone many changes: abundance of available resources, climate change, warming waters, new fisheries management principles, market transformation, et cetera. In order not to reproduce the mistakes of the second half of the 20th century leading to overexploitation of groundfish, including redfish, the actors that make up this SES must develop new practices to respond to changes. In this context, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 34 actors involved in the SES of redfish fishery in Quebec and identified the practices implemented to respond to changes. Interpreting the practices of the actors makes it possible to understand their social representations of redfish fishing. These representations determine a paradigmatic framework in which the actions of the actors take place, reflecting the behaviour of the SES in the face of disturbances. Our study reveals the absence of transformation of the SES, through the anchoring of an extractive and sectoral model concerning the use of natural resources in Canada. It also highlights a naturalistic approach preventing the establishment of an intrinsic value assigned to the ecosystems, and an omnipresence of technical innovation to the detriment of social innovation in the fisheries sector.