Canada’s Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier made the decision to reopen the commercial cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador in June after a 32-year moratorium on cod fishing that put thousands of locals out of work. The newly restored fishery was opened in late July and, a little over a month later was paused due to landings approaching the seasonal limit.
According to sources, northern cod used to be vital to the province’s 400-year-old fishing industry; however, this has changed due to overfishing, poor fisheries management, and environmental changes, causing the population to crash in the early 1990s.
Minister Lebouthillier had reportedly ignored briefing notes from May that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recommended maintaining the longtime moratorium based on scientific evidence. Political advisors within the minister’s office had argued that reopening the commercial fishery and raising quotas would be a political victory.
“It’s important to do things right, and that’s why we are revitalizing this fishery carefully, but with optimism,” the minister stated to Radio-Canada. “Rest assured that I will continue to work closely with the industry, both on the harvesting and processing sides, as well as with the province’s various Indigenous communities, to ensure the sustainable development of Newfoundland and Labrador’s fisheries sector.”
Paul Carrigan, a senior policy advisor, wrote to CBC that DFO staff were concerned about an increase in quotas and the return of offshore boats in the fishery, which would “increase the stocks’ risk of decline.” The department wanted to maintain the total allowable catch (TAC) of 13,000 tonnes and recommended that the minister support a stewardship fishery for cod, a limited fishery made up of inshore fishermen.
However, the northern cod fishery's TAC was set to 18,000 tonnes (just over 39.6 million pounds). In late August, the DFO stated that commercial fishermen from the island's east coast would not be allowed to catch cod until Sept. 15, when the second half of the season would open. The original first half of the season was to end on Sept. 14. However, the TAC was almost caught when they decided to pause.
