Concerns Raised Over State of N.L. South Coast 3Ps Cod Stock
With the exception of a slight increase of 42 metric tonnes for yellowtail flounder, it’s status quo for groundfish quotas on Georges Bank (5Z) in 2020.
The combined Canada/U.S. total allowable catch (TAC) for Atlantic cod in 2020 remains at 650 metric tonnes (mt). The haddock TAC has been maintained at 30,000 mt, while the yellowtail flounder TAC increases from 140 mt to 162 mt.
The TACs are as recommended by the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee. Made up of Canadian and U.S. representatives, the committee met in September 2019 to review data provided by the Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC) on the three jointly managed stocks and provide the non-binding recommendations, said DFO spokesperson Debra Buott-Matheson.
The 2020-2021 quotas for the Bay of Fundy and Scotian Shelf groundfish fisheries will be announced in the spring following scientific review and recommendations and consultation with industry, said Buott-Matheson.
For the 2019/20 season in 4X and 5Y, the haddock TAC was 9,000 mt and the Atlantic cod TAC was set at 825 mt with no directed fishing. The Atlantic halibut TAC for fishing zones 3NOPs4VWX5Zc was 4,789 mt; winter flounder (4X), 1,600 mt and pollock (4X5), 6,024 mt.
According to DFO statistics, the Georges Bank groundfish fishery had a landed value of just over $13.8 million in 2018. There are 46 active licences in the fishery.
The Atlantic halibut fishery for the season ending March 31, 2019 had a landed value of $41.5 million, with 603 active licenses, while landings in the haddock, cod, pollock and winter flounder fisheries in 4X and 5Y totalled $10.8 million.
Off the south coast of Newfoundland, the groundfish news is a little more dire.
The FFAW-Unifor is calling on the federal government to immediately remove offshore trawlers from 3Ps as well as to take action on seal predation to protect the struggling south coast cod stock.
“3Ps harvesters are concerned about future of the fishery and the impact offshore draggers and seal predation are having on the vulnerable south coast cod stock. Natural mortality from seal predation is driving the trajectory of 3Ps cod while draggers operating during critical pre-spawning periods threaten any chance of stability,” says FFAW-Unifor President Keith Sullivan.
Previous stock assessments have shown that the 3Ps cod stock is only marginally improving despite very low removals from the inshore fishery. The offshore fishery continues to operate during times of high aggregation pre-spawning periods — a time when the fish stock is most vulnerable.
“In the 1990s when removals were under 10,000 tonnes, the offshore fleet did not participate in the 3Ps cod fishery. Yet now the removals are once again below 10,000 tonnes and the offshore continues to operate in the region,” the union explained in a press release.
“It’s imperative that offshore draggers be immediately removed from this area. FFAW-Unifor has strongly objected to the offshore fishery operations on pre-spawning aggregations for several years, yet the federal government has continued to allow the fishery to continue,” says Sullivan.
Natural mortality is driving the decline of the 3Ps cod stock. Despite significant evidence of seal predation being a lead cause of this natural morality, it is not taken into account in the assessment process nor is any action being taken by DFO to mitigate the impacts of seal overpopulation on important fish stocks, the union said.
“For the last 10 years, we have been telling DFO Science that the 3Ps cod stock is in trouble and that something must be done. We are on the water; we see the cod, we see the draggers and we see the seals and it’s about time DFO started listening to us,” said 3Ps fish harvester from Red Harbour, Clayton Moulton.
“These are issues within our control and it’s time for the new Minister of Fisheries, Bernadette Jordan, to take immediate action before the impacts cannot be reversed. It’s clear the current way of doing things is not protecting the sustainability of the fishery or our coastal communities,” concluded Sullivan.
