For three decades, Atlantic cod has been deep in the critical zone. The population is not growing, and individuals are in poor condition – smaller and skinnier. Yet, on Friday, May 28, 2021, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced that the quota for this year has been increased from 12,350 to 12,999 tonnes.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has decided to increase the annual Atlantic cod quota despite stocks remaining critically low for three decades, a move Oceana Canada is calling “a recipe for disaster.”
The federal government report shows the stock continues to cling for life in what officials classify as the critical zone, meaning “serious harm is occurring to the stock.” Population growth has been stagnant since 2017, the document says.
“Next year will be 30 years since the original moratorium on this stock,” said Robert Rangeley a marine biologist and director of science with Oceana Canada, a non-profit group aimed at protecting the country’s oceans. “It’s time to do something different.”
Atlantic cod in the waters off Newfoundland’s northeast coast have been in the critical zone since the early 1990s, shortly before the federal government in 1992 announced a sweeping moratorium on fishing the species, instantly eliminating a traditional livelihood for about 30,000 people.
After almost 3 decades, cod are still not back off N L Scientists worry it may never happen cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.