The Fishery is Worth More Than Ever, So Why Isn’t N.L.’s Rural Population in Better Shape?
It is 2022.
It is hard to believe, for a number of reasons. Time is flying by and things inevitably change.
But for the cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador and in too many ways for the fishery generally, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” or, the more things change, they more they stay the same.
We are 30 years out from the initial groundfish moratorium of July 1992. We’ve added another 10 years to the postponement of our hopes for a fully recovered cod fishery, ...
2021 Recreational Groundfish Fishery
Once again, for 39 days throughout the summer and fall in Newfoundland and Labrador, thousands of residents took to the water to participate in the recreational groundfish fishery. The recreational groundfish fishery occurs in all NAFO areas/subareas around Newfoundland and Labrador, which includes 2GH, 2J3KL, 3Ps, 3Pn and 4R.
Reader submitted photos.
3Ps Cod Stock to Remain in Critical Zone Until 2024
A year ago, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that cod stocks off the southern coast of Newfoundland, in NAFO area 3Ps, were in bad shape and in the critical zone (38 per cent of the limit reference point (LRP) of 27–53 per cent)
Jump ahead a year and unfortunately, nothing much has changed.
In DFO’s November 19th 3Ps assessment, cod biologist Karen Dwyer confirmed what many had already speculated, that the cod population in the region has not demonstrated much ...
3Ps Cod Stock Remains in Critical Zone
The future of cod stocks off Newfoundland continues to remain uncertain.
In mid-2020, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that after several years of perceived growth, recovery of the Northern cod stock seemed to have stalled.
Now DFO is saying that cod stocks off the southern coast of Newfoundland in NAFO area 3Ps are also in bad shape.
In its latest assessment, DFO said that the all-important 3Ps spawning stock biomass (SSB) on January 1, 2021 is projected to be 25 ...
The Continuing Enigma That is Cod
A needle in a haystack. A snowball in a blizzard. A black cat in a coal mine.
You get the idea.
Why is cod the Houdini of the fishing industry?
As you all know by now, counting cod is as predictable as the weather of late.
Fishermen report an abundance of cod in some areas, while scientists say they can’t find them.
Harvesters say cod is showing up on their sounders as thick, solid bands, while scientific tow surveys are reporting that the groundfish is no longer found in ...
Seal Overpopulation Linked to Threatened Extinction of Two N.L. Cod Stocks
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) is calling on the federal government to take immediate action to control seal overpopulation in an effort to protect extremely vulnerable cod stocks on the south coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The most recent assessment of southern Gulf cod (4T) was clear; extinction of that cod population is highly probable due to predation by grey seals, the union stated in a press release.
“Scientists in the region took ...
Complexity Versus Simplicity
For as long as I can remember — which now goes back nearly four decades — market research has consistently found that consumers do not feel confident about their abilities to buy fish or prepare it at home.
That is a serious problem for our industry, because it means people consume less fish than they would otherwise. But it is also a problem that provides opportunities.
Compared to other protein foods — beef, pork, poultry, sheep — fish are complicated. Consumers typically ...
On the Waterfront — August 2019
N.L. Company Building OCI Vessel’s Production Line
Bay Bulls-based C & W Industrial Fabrication and Marine Limited has been sub-contracted to build and install the production line for Ocean Choice International’s (OCI) new groundfish vessel.
Last November, OCI announced the construction of a state-of-the-art, Arctic-class vessel that is expected to create approximately 70 new, full-time, year-round positions and enable the company to provide its workers at sea the safest possible ...
A Cod Fishery Juxtaposition
The management approach for the Northern cod stewardship fishery for NAFO Divisions 2J3KL was recently announced by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
As in past years, the catch phrase for this fishery once again appears to be cautious optimism, as DFO unveiled a total commercial quota of 12,350 tonnes, a 30 per cent increase relative to 2018.
While harvesters on the eastern shores of Newfoundland await the detailed conservation and harvesting plan for this year’s Northern ...
Time for Commercial Cod Fishery to be Opened
The fish in the photo I provided have spawned many times causing millions of eggs to be distributed in the ocean leading to perhaps millions of cod like this in the spawning biomass.
So, the question needs to be asked once again, why are we still in a cod moratorium?
Here are my thoughts on this question and it comes down to poor science. Codfish are back in historical numbers and beyond. The cod biomass has reached its limited food supply and if the regulators want the cod biomass to ...
The Fishery is Worth More Than Ever, So Why Isn’t N.L.’s Rural Population in Better Shape?
It is 2022. It is hard to believe, for a number of reasons. Time is flying by and things inevitably change. But for the cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador and in too many ways for the fishery generally, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” or, the more things change, they more they stay the same. We are 30 years out from the initial groundfish moratorium of July 1992. We’ve added another 10 years to the postponement of our hopes for a fully recovered cod fishery, ...