Latest news with #northerncod
CTV News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Scientists question Ottawa more than doubling cod catch in Newfoundland and Labrador
Fishing boats are shown in St. John's, Friday, Apr. 16, 2021. Since the 1992 moratorium on fishing cod in Newfoundland and Labrador, harvesters have focused on crab, shrimp and other shellfish, as evidenced by the many crab boats seen at St. John's wharfs each spring. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie ST. JOHN'S — Scientists say they are surprised and 'puzzled' by the federal fisheries minister's decision Wednesday to more than double the catch in this year's northern cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador. Noel Cadigan modelled the northern cod stock for years as a scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He said the move to hike catch limits this year doesn't line up with the precautionary management approach the department says it has adopted for the stock. 'It is not easy to reduce these quotas again,' the associate professor at Memorial University's Marine Institute said Thursday. 'You want to be sure that these increases are going to be sustainable over the medium term.' 'I don't see evidence for that,' he added. Federal fisheries minister Joanne Thompson announced Wednesday that the total allowable catch for the commercial northern cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador's east coast would be 38,000 tonnes this year. That's up from 18,000 tonnes in 2024. For centuries, the northern cod fishery was the backbone of Newfoundland and Labrador's fishing sector and rural economy. But the stock began to collapse and in 1992, the federal government imposed a moratorium on the fishery. The move resulted in one of the largest mass layoffs in Canadian history. Ottawa lifted the 32-year-old moratorium last year, drawing criticism from some scientists who say the stock is still trying to recover. The Fisheries Department's northern cod stock assessment earlier this year was much rosier than the last. It included revised estimates of the stock size and the threshold at which it would struggle to survive. The chance the stock is above that threshold is greater than 99 per cent, it said. The department has not yet determined a threshold at which the stock would be considered healthy. If the stock falls between the goalposts for struggling and healthy, it is considered to be in the 'cautious' zone. Cadigan noted that according to the department's own guidelines, 'fishing must be progressively reduced' on stocks in that zone. The assessment also said there was a moderate to moderately high chance the stock would decline in the next few years, even if it wasn't fished. Cadigan said Thompson seems to be 'gambling' on that not happening. Tyler Eddy, a Marine Institute research scientist, said the assessment also predicted if fishing levels were doubled this year, there was just a four per cent chance the stock would fall back down past the threshold at which it was threatened by 2026. But Cadigan said the point should be to avoid that precipice at all costs. 'You're talking about a small risk of a disaster,' he said. Sherrylynn Rowe, also a Marine Institute research scientist, said the data in the latest stock assessment made Thompson's decision surprising. The Fisheries Department's press release Wednesday said the stock has been stable since 2017. Rowe said that also means it hasn't shown any significant growth. However, she said officials are under a lot of pressure from the local fishing industry to increase quotas and catches. From that perspective, the minister's decision isn't quite as shocking, she said. 'This is a challenge in Canada,' she said in an interview. 'Within the Department of Fisheries, they have a dual mandate to both protect oceans and fish stocks, but also promote fisheries … It's not always clear how the various objectives are weighted when they make these types of decisions.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. Sarah Smellie
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scientists question Ottawa more than doubling cod catch in Newfoundland and Labrador
ST. JOHN'S — Scientists say they are surprised and 'puzzled' by the federal fisheries minister's decision Wednesday to more than double the catch in this year's northern cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador. Noel Cadigan modelled the northern cod stock for years as a scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He said the move to hike catch limits this year doesn't line up with the precautionary management approach the department says it has adopted for the stock. 'It is not easy to reduce these quotas again,' the associate professor at Memorial University's Marine Institute said Thursday. 'You want to be sure that these increases are going to be sustainable over the medium term." 'I don't see evidence for that,' he added. Federal fisheries minister Joanne Thompson announced Wednesday that the total allowable catch for the commercial northern cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador's east coast would be 38,000 tonnes this year. That's up from 18,000 tonnes in 2024. For centuries, the northern cod fishery was the backbone of Newfoundland and Labrador's fishing sector and rural economy. But the stock began to collapse and in 1992, the federal government imposed a moratorium on the fishery. The move resulted in one of the largest mass layoffs in Canadian history. Ottawa lifted the 32-year-old moratorium last year, drawing criticism from some scientists who say the stock is still trying to recover. The Fisheries Department's northern cod stock assessment earlier this year was much rosier than the last. It included revised estimates of the stock size and the threshold at which it would struggle to survive. The chance the stock is above that threshold is greater than 99 per cent, it said. The department has not yet determined a threshold at which the stock would be considered healthy. If the stock falls between the goalposts for struggling and healthy, it is considered to be in the "cautious" zone. Cadigan noted that according to the department's own guidelines, "fishing must be progressively reduced" on stocks in that zone. The assessment also said there was a moderate to moderately high chance the stock would decline in the next few years, even if it wasn't fished. Cadigan said Thompson seems to be "gambling" on that not happening. Tyler Eddy, a Marine Institute research scientist, said the assessment also predicted if fishing levels were doubled this year, there was just a four per cent chance the stock would fall back down past the threshold at which it was threatened by 2026. But Cadigan said the point should be to avoid that precipice at all costs. "You're talking about a small risk of a disaster," he said. Sherrylynn Rowe, also a Marine Institute research scientist, said the data in the latest stock assessment made Thompson's decision surprising. The Fisheries Department's press release Wednesday said the stock has been stable since 2017. Rowe said that also means it hasn't shown any significant growth. However, she said officials are under a lot of pressure from the local fishing industry to increase quotas and catches. From that perspective, the minister's decision isn't quite as shocking, she said. "This is a challenge in Canada," she said in an interview. "Within the Department of Fisheries, they have a dual mandate to both protect oceans and fish stocks, but also promote fisheries … It's not always clear how the various objectives are weighted when they make these types of decisions." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
FFAW tells critics to 'stay in their lane' after Ottawa more than doubles northern cod quota
While those who work in the fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador celebrate Ottawa's decision to increase the northern cod quota, an environmental group says the change was motivated by politics. On Wednesday, the federal government announced it was more than doubling the total allowable catch to 38,000 metric tonnes of northern cod — up from 18,000 last year. "It's a level that has been a long time coming, and it's going to produce some very good opportunities for both harvesters and plant workers," Fish, Food and Allied Workers union president Dwan Street told CBC Radio's The Broadcast. Street said she sat down with federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson to explain the FFAW's proposal for the allowable catch, and felt the minister understood the union's call for an increase. "I think [Wednesday's] decision is evidence that she did understand that and listened to harvesters, which I think is the most important thing that we can take from this," Street said. Alberto Wareham, president and CEO of Icewater Seafoods, said the significant increase is good news. "I think [it] will be a lot more cod for Arnold's Cove from the inshore and from the offshore, more year-round employment, more cod available for our customers," he said. However, Wareham couldn't say at this time whether the increase could mean his plant would be open throughout the year. "From Icewater's perspective, we would like to get a lot closer to 45 to 50 weeks a year," he said. Wareham said his business will be ready to start buying cod in the next few weeks. But there has also been some opposition to the quota change. "The minister has chosen to dramatically increase pressure on a still depleted cod stock without any guardrails in place to prevent overfishing," Oceana Canada fisheries scientist Rebecca Schijns told Radio-Canada. "This is not just a science oversight, it's a political position made under economic pressure." Oceana Canada is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to ocean conservation. Schijns said history can demonstrate what can happen when a fragile fish stock is overfished. She called the federal government's decision a missed opportunity to rebuild the cod stock. Schijns said concerning signs are being overlooked, adding biomass levels have remained stagnant since 2017 and the limit reference point that defines the critical zone was cut by nearly two-thirds. "That appears for the stock to look like it's improved on paper, but the reality is far from it," she said. "This isn't science-lead management, it's political optics dressed in scientific language." Schijns said the move could undermine future economic opportunities. However, Street dismissed the concerns from Oceana Canada that the move was politically motivated. "I think Oceana Canada needs to stay in their lane," she said. "NGOs have no business making decisions or having input on decisions that affect the lives of our members or anybody who makes their livelihood on the ocean." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
DFO increases total allowable catch for northern cod fishery
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced an increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) in the northern cod commercial fishery. The TAC more than doubled from 18,000 tonnes to 38,000 tonnes under the new management plan. Recent data confirms northern cod has remained stable since 2017 and is 'at a higher level than previously understood from the 2024 assessment,' said a Wednesday news release. 'There are opportunities now to responsibly grow the industry and reflect on how we manage the food fishery,' said Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson. 'We often say that the world needs more Canada, but Canada also needs more Newfoundland and Labrador – and a stronger cod fishery will help make that happen." Commercial allocations for 2025-26 are as follows: 80 per cent is allocated to inshore harvesters including a new allocation for the inshore mobile gear fleet 10 per cent is allocated to Indigenous groups and special allocation 9.72 per cent is allocated to Canadian offshore fleets 0.28 per cent is allocated to mid shore fixed gear and mobile gear fleets The new management plan did not increase the TAC for capelin, a key food source for cod and other species. The TAC for capelin remains at 14,533 tonnes. The government will launch public consultations to inform future management decisions, said the release. The management plan includes new provisions for tour boat operators. Passengers can retain two groundfish per day under the new tagging system. 'Canada is a maritime nation, with more coastline than any country in the world, and the fishing industry plays a vital role in our economy and coastal communities,' said Minster Chrystia Freeland. 'Fisheries and Oceans Canada's new voluntary tagging pilot program empowers tour boat operators to support sustainable marine practices — advancing conservation and our Canadian economy.' Approximately five per cent of the TAC is allotted for Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization partners fishing outside Canada's exclusive economic zone.
