HALIFAX—Today, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced that the 2J3KL Northern cod fishery will open to commercial fishing, ending the official moratorium that was implemented in 1992. The total allowable catch will be 18,000 tonnes for Canadian fishers and an additional 5 percent for contracting parties of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Oceans North is disappointed with the Minister’s decision, which will increase harvest levels and allow large Canadian and European offshore trawl vessels to fish a stock that is still far from healthy.

While some fishing has been allowed as part of a “stewardship fishery,” today’s announcement represents a 5000-tonne increase over the 2023 harvest allocation and more importantly represents a major change in how this fishery is managed. Following an update to DFO’s model last fall that incorporated more historical data, the status of the Northern cod stock changed from being in the “critical zone” to the “cautious zone.” However, the overall Northern cod stock size has not changed: it remains just 20 percent above the boundary with the critical zone, and there has been no growth in the stock since 2016 due to natural mortality and ecosystem conditions. According to DFO’s own scientific model, there is a 42 percent chance that the stock will once again be in the critical zone by 2027 even with no fishing. A new study has also found Northern cod are at high risk from climate change impacts.

Oceans North was also disappointed in the Minister’s decision to proceed with a rollover of the 2J3KL capelin quota for the 2024 fishing season, even after the importance of this stock’s health to the future of the Northern cod stock was highlighted. As capelin are a major prey species for cod and their reference points are linked, the status of the capelin stock was also changed after the addition of new data to the stock assessment model earlier this year. However, despite now being in the “cautious zone,” the capelin stock is only 9 percent of what it was before the collapse of the fishery in the 1990s.

The Northern cod moratorium in 1992 resulted in one of the biggest job losses in Canadian history. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador has spent the last 32 years trying to recover, but the decision to allow more fishing when this iconic species is in such a precarious position is not sustainable and does not promote faith in DFO’s management decisions. It is a short-sighted choice that is in opposition to scientific advice and favours near-term socioeconomics and politics over the future of the stock—a mistake that has been made in the past and should not be repeated.

The decision also goes against international commitments that Canada has made to protect biodiversity. The government released its 2030 Nature Strategy earlier this month, committing to international targets to achieve sustainable fisheries and protect species at risk. Reopening the commercial fishery will not accomplish these goals.

Oceans North remains hopeful that future decisions will advance DFO’s stated objectives to rebuild fisheries to healthy levels and take an ecosystem-based approach to management. “To promote sustainable fishing practices, capelin and cod stocks should be managed together, as their health and recovery are intrinsically linked. By continuing to focus on single-species management, the Minister missed the opportunity to factor in the ecosystem and climate change, which offers the best chance to rebuild these and other fisheries to healthy levels,” says Schleit.

For more information, please contact:

Alex Tesar
Communications Manager
Oceans North
[email protected]