Fishermen at Petty Harbour, N.L., September, 2024. Total allowable catch of northern cod rises to 59,000 tonnes this season from 38,000 tonnes last year.Greg Locke/Reuters
Federal fisheries officials say a dramatic increase to the allowable catch of northern cod will bring greater opportunity and economic benefits to an industry that has operated in Newfoundland and Labrador for centuries.
The Canadian government famously declared a moratorium on the northern cod fishery in 1992, after overfishing caused a collapse in cod stocks. The closing of the fishery had a devastating impact on the economic and cultural landscape of Newfoundland and Labrador, with more than 30,000 people losing their main source of income overnight.
The moratorium was repealed in 2024 and the commercial fishery was reopened with a total allowable catch (TAC) of 18,000 tonnes. That number jumped to 38,000 tonnes last year; this season, it rises again to 59,000 tonnes. Federal officials announced the increased limit in June.
The TAC is divided up between multiple fleets, which are each given a share of the catch. The all-year offshore fleet – mostly company-owned factory freezer trawlers more than 100 feet long – was given an increase in share to almost 20 per cent of the TAC this year, from 6 per cent in 2024. Meanwhile, the share for the seasonal inshore fleet – owner-operator vessels under 65 feet – has dropped to 70 per cent in 2026, from 83.73 per cent two years ago.
Indigenous allocations to the Nunatsiavut Government and the Innu Nation were pegged at 3.33 per cent each. An additional 3.33-per-cent special allocation was assigned to NunatuKavut Community Council, much to the chagrin of the Nunatsiavut Government, which describes the council as “an unrecognized, self-proclaimed Indigenous group.”
Dwan Street, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union, which represents workers at family-based enterprises, said the higher permissible catch numbers will allow people to stay in their communities with well-paying jobs.
“There’s just investment all around right now in the industry, and it’s great to see,” she said. “These are seasonal jobs, but they’re very good jobs, whether you’re on the boat or you’re on the processing-plant floor.”
On a fishing boat off the coast of Labrador, captain Corey Saunders, on his way to crabbing grounds, said he plans to fish for cod in the southern grounds, off the coast of Black Tickle and Pinsent’s Arm, when the season starts in July.
In a text message, he said the “increase in quota hasn’t affected my plans, only my excitement,” given the potential for a higher income and the availability of a fishery to fall back on in case another species fails.
Despite the positive news, Ms. Street said the increase in share for the offshore fleet gives her concern because historically, large vessels catching cod as they congregated to spawn led to the decline in stocks.
Joanne Thompson, federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, said in an e-mailed statement that inshore harvesters continue to hold most of the allocation, calling them the “backbone of the fishery.”
Buyers want a year-round supply of northern cod, which would support processing and provide jobs in the province, and the offshore fleet can provide the capacity when others cannot, the statement said.
Ms. Thompson said she has taken a measured approach to setting the TAC, with a sustainable harvest rate of 12 per cent for a stock of this size considered to be in the healthy zone.
George Rose, a retired professor and federal fisheries scientist who focused on the North Atlantic cod stocks during his career, said while cod stocks are much higher now than they were in 1992, he is concerned the government is going too far, too fast.
Dr. Rose said he would recommend slow increases in the TAC instead, so effects can be monitored.
“You need to be more slow, cautious, see the results of the fisheries,” he said. “If the results look positive, if they look favourable, then you know you can move forward, but to move forward before you see the results seems to be a bit backward to me.”
Tom Evans, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources for the Nunatsiavut government, disagrees with the Indigenous allocation of 3.33 per cent. He called on the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to change the share of allocations, saying the current distribution will limit economic growth for Nunatsiavut communities in Labrador.
“Cod allocations are a lifeline for our Nunatsiavut communities,” Mr. Evans said. “We fish our allocations, we create local jobs and keep benefits in the region.”
He said the allocations do not reflect the adjacency of the Labrador Inuit to the cod stock, which is concentrated off the coast of Labrador.
“Adjacency is a fundamental principle that’s clearly defined in the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement,” Mr. Evans said. Adjacency refers to the idea that a community closest to a resource has a greater dependence on the resource for economic opportunity, and should be prioritized for allocations.
He called for the implementation of an allocation framework that would reflect adjacency in a principled manner, and would provide meaningful access to the Labrador Inuit while upholding the obligations from the land claims agreement.
Dr. Rose recalled how a cod stock near the southern coast of Newfoundland was doing well about 10 years ago, but then faced pressure from fisheries and ended up back in a critical state. Currently, the TAC for this stock is just 1,251 tonnes.
“I just don’t want to see that happen with the northern cod,” Dr. Rose said. “It’s far too important.”