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.
Harvesting Plan Announced for 2021 Northern Cod Fishery
With many in the fishing industry hoping to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind them and get back to some sense of normality, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released the 2021 conservation harvesting plan (CHP) 2J3KL stewardship cod fishery.
Fishermen will not see much difference from last year’s plan. In fact, overall, the 2021 fishery is nearly a carbon copy of the 2020 season.
While the overall catch limit for the 2021 Northern cod (NAFO Divisions 2J3KL) stewardship fishery ...
The Crisis of Our Lifetime
I grew up in the schooner days when cod was king, after being absent for a while.
I returned to the fishery in 1976 and cod was still king. In reference to cod, it was called fish and is still today by the people in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
The year 1990 was a disastrous time — we lost our cod and turbot after long years of fishing on the spawning grounds by Canadian and foreign draggers. In the winter of 1991, the Canadian draggers went to the Grand Banks looking for cod and ...
No Changes in 2020 Northern Cod Fishery Catch Limits
At 2:33 p.m. on July 7, the FFAW-Unifor sent out a press release calling on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to release the 2020 management plan for the Northern cod stewardship fishery.
Coincidence or not, later that afternoon, at 4:51 p.m., DFO responded with a press release of its own announcing the 2020, 2J3KL Northern cod stewardship fishery management approach.
DFO stated that the 2020 stewardship fishery management approach will include measures to ensure catches do not ...
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 ...
The Ecosystem and the Connection Between Capelin, Cod and Seals
Growing up, every year we would go out in my grandfather’s trap skiff to get a load of capelin for the gardens.
You did not have to search for capelin back then, they would land in the same beaches every year.
I returned to the fishery in 1977 and spent the winters sealing — there were good markets, good prices and you could sell seal meat for canning. You could cut open a mature harp seal and fill a five-gallon bucket with capelin — but not any more. The seal hunt continued until ...
DFO Announces 2018 Newfoundland and Labrador Recreational Groundfish Fishery
DFO advises that in 2018, the recreational groundfish fishery will be open for a total of 39 days.
For the 2018 season, there is no requirement for licences or tags.
Summer Season:
Saturday, June 30, 2018 to Monday, July 2, 2018
Saturday, July 7, 2018 to Monday, July 09, 2018
Saturday, July 14, 2018 to Monday, July 16, 2018
Saturday, July 21, 2018 to Monday, July 23, 2018
Saturday, July 28, 2018 to Monday, July 30, 2018
Saturday, August 4, 2018 to Monday, ...
Southwest Nova Groundfish Fishery Holding Its Own
The Southwestern Nova Scotia groundfish fishery is holding its own, with an overall landed value that has topped more than $50-million in 2015 and 2016, harvested by just over 400 vessels from all sectors of the inshore fleet.
According to preliminary statistics from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, in 2016 the total landed value of groundfish species on Georges Bank (5Z) was $22,308,556. Fifty-four vessels participated in the fishery, including 31 from the under-65 mobile ...
The New Face of Cod
International Markets and Products Have Changed Considerably since 1992
The international markets for cod are now a whole lot different than they were 25 years ago.
The last time Newfoundland and Labrador cod was a substantial export was prior to the groundfish moratorium in 1992. Pre-moratorium, frozen cod block was the main product being churned out by N.L. fishplants. Jump ahead two-and-half decades and the world groundfish/whitefish market is almost unrecognizable compared to the cod ...
N.L. Cod – What we Heard
The Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation hosted a very successful conference on the theme Cod – Building the Fishery of the Future in Gander on November 28 and 29.
It was attended by about 180 people, representing a good cross-section of the industry, including harvesters, processors, marketers, suppliers, government and academia.
Because of the many different interest groups in the room, there was a lot of potential for disagreement on various issues. However, the session was ably ...
