Thirty-two years after the federal government announced a moratorium closing Newfoundland and Labrador’s cod fishery, Fisheries Minister Diane LeBouthillier announced Wednesday that the province’s cod fishery will reopen.
But what the federal government described in a statement as a “historic return of the commercial northern cod fishery” will likely only be a slight increase in fishing activity permitted during the moratorium in recent years.
“The end of the moratorium on the northern cod fishery marks a historic milestone for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,” Lebouthillier said in a statement. “We are cautiously but optimistically rebuilding this fishery, the primary beneficiaries of which will be coastal and Indigenous communities across Newfoundland and Labrador.”
The Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans’ announcement has political implications.
The bulk of the text was made up of individual statements from all six Liberal MPs in Newfoundland and Labrador, and came as the beleaguered Liberals are battling a rising Conservative party with the next federal election looming.
This year’s total allowable catch (TAC) is 18,000 tonnes, most of which will be destined for coastal fishing vessels.
But the TAC is only slightly higher than the 13,000 tonnes allowed last year, which was administered by DFO under strict conditions similar to the long-standing moratorium.
By comparison, pre-moratorium TACs were many times higher than they are today: for example, in prolific fishing years in the late 1980s the TAC was 250,000 tonnes.
In 1992, then-federal Minister John Crosbie closed the northern cod fishery after fishermen grew worried about declining catches and smaller fish, resulting in the largest industrial layoffs in Canadian history, with more than 20,000 people losing their jobs.
The moratorium caused an economic crisis that led to a decline in the population of Newfoundland and Labrador, especially in rural areas.
In October, a scientific assessment upgraded the status of northern cod stocks from “critical” to “requiring caution.”
But at the same time, DFO said northern cod stocks have not increased since 2016.
While she has been targeting northern cod stocks, stocks have remained stable. However, the latest research from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans shows that while stocks are stable, they are not increasing and are expected to decline over the next few years, even if no fish are taken from the water.
Earlier this year, seafood producers called for a slight increase in commercial activity for northern cod.
“With more confidence in stock levels, we are hopeful that the commercial cod fishery will reopen,” Alberto Wareham, president and CEO of IceWater Seafoods in Arnold Cove, told CBC News in April.
Meanwhile, the federal government recently announced that the recreational cod fishery, also known as the food fishery, will continue, which will be open every Saturday, Sunday and Monday from June 29 to September 2 this year, and from September 21 to 29.
Lebouthillier also announced that the ministry will end catch-and-release for tourist boats in recreational fishing and introduce tagging in 2025.
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