If the Newfoundland and Labrador fishing industry hopes to return to a major commercial cod fishery in the coming years, it has some catching up to do.
Countries like Norway and Iceland have a steady hand on the cod marketplace and have taken measures to ensure their fleets land top quality fish to meet market demand. Their fishing fleets have utilized advancements in gear technology, implemented quality assurance programs and taken steps to ensure sustainability of the resource.
One type of fishing gear traditionally used and being promoted in those countries is longlines — a series of baited hooks on a long fishing line set near the ocean floor.
Studies have shown cod landed by single line baited hooks or longlines tend to be of the best quality.
The Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, in conjunction with the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation, hosted an information session in St. John’s recently on longlining for cod in Norway.
The event featured three fishing industry experts from Norway: Roger Larsen of the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, a professional unit of the Arctic University of Norway; Lasse Rindahl, a researcher at SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture Ltd.; and Jahn Hoel, general manager of Mustad Autoline in North America, a manufacturer of longline fishing systems.
The experts spoke on current trends in the marketplace, how cod landed by longline gear compares to that of trawl and gillnet fishing gear, and how longline technology has progressed to a point where it is a more attractive method of fishing than it has been in the past.
“If you are going to revive a large-scale fishery, the choice of technology has to be decided now,” Larsen told about 50 people gathered at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University.
“Longlining is seen as one way to improve quality. Quality will be a very big issue in the future, as well sustainability. If you can convince your consumer that this is a fish caught by hook and line, we have an image of a very gentle method of catching fish, and that sells.”
Larsen said hook and line-caught fish are what is preferred in many markets of the world. He noted that currently about 15 per cent of Norwegian cod is landed by longlining in both offshore and coastal vessels. The push is on to convince more fishermen to switch to longlining.
Many people in Newfoundland and Labrador still refer to larger fishing boats they see in various harbours across the province as longliners, a carry-over from days when longlining for cod and other groundfish species was common in the province.
In the early 1950s, the development of the ‘longliner’ vessel — one equipped with mechanical hauling devices instead of the long lines having to be hauled manually by the crew — meant fishermen were able to fish further offshore with less effort. Thus the longliner became a common vessel seen at the wharf.
In the 1960s, the introduction of gillnets to the groundfish fishery resulted in a move away from the traditional single hook and line and the longline fishery. Gillnets brought in more cod with less effort.
Gillnets also meant a move away from other common gear used for cod fishing in the inshore, such as the labour intensive cod trap. In the offshore fishery, larger vessels were equipped with huge otter trawls towed behind the vessels through aggregated schools of cod.
In his presentation, Rindahl pointed out that quality depends largely on the type of gear used and how it is used.
“Every type of gear is able to bring good quality ashore, but there are at different times, differences,” he said. “Longline fish bring a better price in the market than trawl in the deep sea fishery.”
He noted that while efficiency is greater for fishermen using other types of gear such as gillnets, quality often suffers.
“Some fishermen don’t care about quality as long as they get an average price,” he said. “Efficiency rises, the price drops.”
Rindahl added that the biggest issues with longlining are the cost of bait and the baiting of the lines. He said new technology allowing for the automation of the baiting process is increasing efficiency, and causing more fishermen to reconsider the longlining method.
Since the northern cod stock off Atlantic Canada collapsed and was placed under a moratorium in 1992, there have been few positive signs of recovery.
Earlier this year, however, federal and provincial fisheries research scientists indicated the northern cod stock is finally showing signs of a major rebuild. That news has sparked talk of a commercial northern cod fishery reopening in the coming years.
Local people involved in the fishing industry are aware of the market demand for high quality products. The debate over the best fishing gear, landing and transportation methods to meet that demand has been gaining momentum in the province. There is also the concern over whether there will be room for both an inshore and offshore cod fishery.
In Norway, there are currently about 6,000 boats involved in the cod fishery — 90 per cent of those vessels are small, coastal boats.
“The vision in Norway is similar to Newfoundland and Labrador, that is to keep lights in houses along the coast,” Larsen said.
“I think that part of the reason why we see a big proportion of longlining in Norway is tradition. The other reason is that the new generation coming into the fishing vessels, many young people choose longlining because of sustainability and the future.”
Newfoundland fisherman Jim Redmond, however, said longlining for cod in Newfoundland won’t work with the low price being offered for cod, low quotas and the high cost of bait.
Redmond’s 100-foot boat fishes out of St. John’s using longline gear to catch mainly halibut and swordfish.
“The only thing we can catch and make any money with hooks today in Atlantic Canada is halibut and swordfish. And nobody here in Newfoundland goes swordfishing,” Redmond said.
“I’ve never set a gillnet in my life. I’ve never shot away a trawl in my life. Only fish I ever caught was with a hook. Monetarily, you just can’t do it (for cod). If we were getting a buck and half for codfish like they are in Iceland and Norway today, that would be different.”
Prices for cod landed in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2015 were set at 68 cents per pound for Grade A during the spring and summer and 75 cents per pound for Grade A during the fall and winter.
Bob Verge, managing director of the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation at Memorial University, noted the key message from the information session for the future fishery is that if you can consistently provide a higher quality product, you will get a higher price for that product in today’s marketplace.
“What we heard here today is that fish caught with different gear types will attract different prices and that’s because they give you something different in terms of quality,” he said. “In Norway, vessels are assigned quotas. If you have a fixed quota there are two things that impacts on the economics of your operation — the price you get per kilogram for your catch and your operating costs. You have to weigh the pros and cons of the best gear types for you.
“Longlines provide the best return in some cases, but not necessarily all. So there are situations where you might prefer to use different gear.”
Mixing Oil and Fish
Industries Compete For Available Workers
While the worldwide downturn in oil prices has hit Norway’s massive oil and gas industry hard, it may prove favourable to that country’s fishing industry.
As Western Europe’s top oil producer, the once-booming industry has always drawn workers away from the fishery.
Now, with job losses in the oil industry, some people are finding their way back to the fishing boat.
The same may be happening in Atlantic Canada.
Roger Larsen, associate professor of the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, a professional unit of the Arctic University of Norway, said that since the oil industry began to grow in Norway in the late 1960s-70s, it became increasingly difficult to keep people in the fishery.
The result has been more imported labour to fill vacant fishing industry jobs on land and at sea. With it came a fear that local fishing skills would be lost.
Larsen was in St. John’s recently to give a presentation during an information session on longlining in the Norwegian cod fishery.
“The fishing industry over the last 30 years had to compete with the oil and gas industry on salaries, working conditions, safety standards and accommodations at sea,” Larsen said.
“The response for the fishing industry is to mimic the standards. The use of modern technology improves the efficiency in both deep sea and coastal fleets, and improves working conditions and safety. So, with the downtown in the oil industry, some people are returning to the fishery.”
In Newfoundland and Labrador, with its own offshore oil industry attracting young people, fishing vessel owners and companies have similar difficulty attracting workers.
With a potential return to a commercial northern cod fishery in the coming years, the problem may grow.
Ian Smith, chief executive officer of Clearwater Seafoods headquartered in Nova Scotia, commented on the issue at a recent speech to the St. John’s Board of Trade.
Clearwater operates a 10-vessel traditional and state-of-the-art factory fleet off Canada’s east coast.
One of the challenges in operating such vessels, Smith said, is maintaining qualified crew in the midst of a competing and growing offshore oil and gas industry.
Technology has now replaced much of the manual labour on the company’s vessels, he noted, so most of the jobs are high-paying technical jobs on par with that of the oil industry. Working conditions, accommodations and safety standards are also equal to that of the oil and gas industry.
