Above photo: N.L. Premier Andrew Furey. Photo by Nick Travis
Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, expressed his opinion that the federal government’s decision to lift the moratorium in Northern cod is a “terrible decision for the people of the province.”
By reopening the commercial fishery, offshore trawlers from the 12 contracting parties of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), besides Canada itself, have been allocated five per cent of the total allowable catch (TAC) of cod in the province’s waters, a move that had the Premier recall the 1992 cod moratorium.
“It sounds like we should be celebrating the lift of the cod moratorium, but it welcomes offshore trawlers off our shores, and it makes no sense. It is one of the most bizarre decisions I have ever seen,” said Furey.
“I was in high school in 1992 and I saw communities empty; saw high schools close in communities as the cod moratorium really took grip of communities, of the economy and of the social fabric of Newfoundland and Labrador, and one of the reasons was because of foreign overfishing.”
Beyond foreign overfishing, Furey expressed concern over the geopolitical ramifications of allowing NAFO parties to fish in Canadian waters, as Russia is a contracting party to the organization.
“We can’t sell oil to Russia, but Russia now, as a part of NAFO, can come off our shores and take a cod? Come on, that doesn’t make any sense,” said Furey.
“I cannot stand for one tongue, one cheek or one fillet being harvested by anyone other than Newfoundlanders and Labradorians off our shore, full stop.”
While Furey’s concerns mostly revolved around foreign offshore draggers, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) has taken the position a step further, saying draggers in general, both foreign and domestic, are detrimental to the health of stocks. The union, in response, has called for a return to a stewardship fishery of the stock, which would put the ability to fish N.L. cod solely into the hands of inshore harvesters.
Furey said lifting the cod moratorium and commencing a commercial fishery was unnecessary, and that a gentle increase of quota for the stewardship could have satisfied the federal Liberal’s political goals. The Premier went on to call the federal government’s decision a “political call” that should have been made in consultation with the province, fish harvesters and processors.
“Right now, what’s happening with this allocation is it’s pitting fishermen against fishermen. While there is an absolute increase in the quota, there is some reduction in quota for particular fishermen, and distribution of that quota is pitting fishermen against fishermen,” said Furey. “You could have, pending the science, managed to achieve everything they were trying to achieve without lifting the moratorium.”
In the wake of DFO’s cod allocation decision, Furey penned an open letter to Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier calling for joint management of Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishery, giving the province a “direct say” over the province’s resources.
In 2003, the government of former Premier Roger Grimes released the White Paper: Joint Management of Newfoundland and Labrador Fisheries. The paper proposed the creation of a Canada/Newfoundland and Labrador Fisheries Management Board and outlined specific responsibilities and powers the board would have, including establishing and implementing integrated fisheries management, conservation harvesting and recovery plans for fish stocks; establishing total allowable catches for fish stocks; distributing allocations within the allowable catch; opening and closing of fisheries; conservation and habitat preservation measures; issuing, renewing, transferring and cancelling licenses to harvest fish and issuing, renewing, transferring and cancelling licences to process fish.
Furey claimed that much has changed since 2003, from technology, to population distribution to processing capacity within the province. He said that while the 2003 White Paper is a good starting position, there needs to be a larger discussion around how joint management would be implemented.
“I think setting a table where there’s joint management will allow for better inputs and better decision making. What that actually looks like; time will tell, but it’s important to start the conversation,” said Furey.
“I had all 13 Premiers agree to that this week. All 13 Premiers — territorial Premiers, provincial Premiers — everyone was fully supportive of Newfoundland and Labrador’s position in joint management of our offshore fish. We jointly manage our non-renewable resources, because of the agreement we did with the federal government last year, we joint manage our renewable resources within the bays and inlets of our communities… How come we can’t jointly manage our fish? It doesn’t make any sense. The time has come, especially in the wake of these recent decisions, the time has come for a substantive, real policy conversation and decision so that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians control their own resources.”
In calling for joint management of the fishery, Furey joined a long list of Premiers who have vied to wrestle control of the fisheries from DFO. Now, in his attempt at getting the federal government to share some of its power, Furey thinks the lifting of the cod moratorium has changed the tone of the conversation to allow for his government to make this decades-long goal a reality.
“The federal government, at the time, pulled the plug on the cod fishery, and the science supported it. They watched us nurse this resource back to good health. They gave the instructions, and fish harvesters, plants workers and everyone played by the rules. But now the rules need to change,” said Furey.
“Now, they are not listening when it comes to cod, they’re not listening when it comes to redfish, they’re not listening when it comes to herring allocations, even. I think that this moment in history, lifting the cod moratorium, is what opens the door to more
substantive and real policy discussions, not just political ones.”
