The federal government has ended the Newfoundland and Labrador northern cod moratorium, which gutted the province害羞草研究所檚 economy and transformed scores of small communities after it was imposed more than 30 years ago.
The Fisheries Department announced Wednesday it would re-establish a commercial cod fishery with a total allowable catch of 18,000 tonnes for the 2024 season.
害羞草研究所淓nding the northern cod moratorium is a historic milestone for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,害羞草研究所� federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier said in a news release.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 through working together that we have reached this moment. We will cautiously but optimistically build back this fishery with the prime beneficiaries being coastal and Indigenous communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.害羞草研究所�
Northern cod were once the backbone of Newfoundland and Labrador害羞草研究所檚 400-year-old fishing industry. By the late 1960s, the industry peaked as northern cod landings reached about 800,000 tonnes, most of which was hauled in by large, offshore vessels.
But the population collapsed in the early 1990s because of overfishing, mismanagement and changing environmental conditions.
John Crosbie, who was federal fisheries minister at the time, famously said, 害羞草研究所淚 didn害羞草研究所檛 take the fish out of the goddamned water!害羞草研究所� to a group of fishermen upset about the dwindling fish stocks. That was on July 1, 1992.
The next day, Ottawa announced the moratorium. It was eventually extended to other groundfish stocks, wiping out more than 30,000 jobs 害羞草研究所� widely described as the largest mass layoff in Canadian history.
Within a year, the entire $700-million enterprise 害羞草研究所� and way of life 害羞草研究所� was gone.
Young people in rural Newfoundland and Labrador began leaving for St. John害羞草研究所檚 or mainland Canada to find work. Between 1991 and 2001, the province害羞草研究所檚 population fell by about 10 per cent, largely because of people leaving outport communities, according to the Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador website.
The moratorium was supposed to last for two years. But when that deadline passed, fish stocks did not show signs of recovering.
Last year, Fisheries Department scientists announced they had used new modelling showing the cod stock was out of the 害羞草研究所渃ritical zone害羞草研究所� for the first time in decades. They emphasized, however, that the designation change was due to the use of different models, not because there was necessarily more fish in the water.
When a species is in the critical zone, scientists recommend it be left alone as much as possible and that catch limits remain small.
Now the stock is in the 害羞草研究所渃autious zone,害羞草研究所� which means fisheries decisions should still prioritize regrowth. According to federal figures, the total catch of 18,000 tonnes for the 2024 season is just a fraction of what it was 害羞草研究所� 120,000 tonnes 害羞草研究所� in February 1992, just months before the moratorium was imposed.
George Rose, a marine scientist who studied Newfoundland cod for decades, said he remains skeptical of the species害羞草研究所� new designation.
害羞草研究所淚t is not a change in the stock, which hasn害羞草研究所檛 grown significantly since 2015-16, just a change in the goalposts by which the stock is judged,害羞草研究所� Rose wrote in an email Wednesday.
The new modelling 害羞草研究所渞ewrites decades of research and analyses about the stock and its potential productivity, and is based on analyses that are unclear and at best questionable,害羞草研究所� he added.
By lifting the moratorium, Rose said, the Fisheries Department is 害羞草研究所渞olling the dice on this important fishery.害羞草研究所�
The news release Wednesday from the federal Fisheries Department said roughly 84 per cent of this year害羞草研究所檚 total allowable catch will be allocated to inshore fishers, while six per cent will go to Canadian companies fishing offshore.
害羞草研究所淥ur province has waited a long time for the end of the northern cod moratorium,害羞草研究所� said Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey in a social media post. 害羞草研究所淎 sustainable harvest that provides maximum benefits for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is most important.害羞草研究所�
The non-profit conservation group Oceans North said the decision was a bad move because it will allow large Canadian and European offshore trawlers to fish for a population they say is far from healthy.
害羞草研究所淚t is a short-sighted choice that is in opposition to scientific advice and favours near-term socioeconomics and politics over the future of the stock 害羞草研究所� a mistake that has been made in the past and should not be repeated,害羞草研究所� the group said in a statement.
Like Rose, Oceans North believes the size of the northern cod stock has not grown in years.
害羞草研究所淔or years, (the fisheries department) had been working on a plan for how we could rebuild this stock to healthy levels,害羞草研究所� said Oceans North fisheries director Katie Schleit. 害羞草研究所淚nstead, we害羞草研究所檙e getting a plan that risks undoing any progress we害羞草研究所檝e made.害羞草研究所�
Meanwhile, the Association of Seafood Producers, which represents more than two dozen seafood businesses, said the reopening was a welcome move.
害羞草研究所淭he iconic cod fishery was once a mainstay and has been the backbone of our province,害羞草研究所� executive director Jeff Loder said in a statement. 害羞草研究所淭he reopening of the commercial fishery will be well-received by our coastal communities, harvesters, plant workers, local businesses and others who rely on the fishery for their livelihoods.害羞草研究所�
Alberto Wareham, CEO of IceWater Seafoods Inc. in Arnold害羞草研究所檚 Cove, N.L., said the 18,000-tonne limit is 害羞草研究所渃onservative.害羞草研究所� IceWater is the only company in the province processing northern cod.
害羞草研究所淔rom our perspective, this is a bit more conservative than we thought we needed to go,害羞草研究所� Wareham said in an interview. 害羞草研究所淏ut it is science based.害羞草研究所�
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