The Honourable Trevor Taylor, acting Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture told that at NAFO 2008, the outcomes demonstrate the need for the Federal Government to provide a system of custodial management for the Nose and Tail of the Grand Banks. The NAFO 2008 meetings were held in Vigo, Spain. The minister said that the fact that Canada had to transfer 1,000 tonnes of its yellowtail flounder to the United States in order to secure various conservation and management objectives is further evidence that the Federal Government must pursue custodial management.
According to him it is simply not acceptable for the Federal Government to be trading off fish stocks that they depend on, for foreign interests. It means that the Federal Government is willing to trade off our fish. The yellowtail and American plaice stocks are essentially Canadian fisheries which occur within Canadian waters. He told that Canada had to negotiate with 11 other NAFO members in order to manage these stocks.
At the NAFO 2008 meetings some of the decisions taken which included maintaining the Greenland halibut total allowable catch (TAC) at 16,000 tonnes, increasing the by-catch of American plaice in the yellowtail fishery from five to 13 percent, increasing the 3LNO yellowtail flounder TAC by 1,500 tonnes to 17,000 tonnes, and increasing the 3L shrimp TAC from 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes. The 3LNO fisheries are located on the Nose and Tail of the Grand Banks.
Minister Taylor said that adhering to the rebuilding plan would have struck a balance between the divergent views of scientists and fish harvesters by effecting a 15 percent reduction in the 2009 harvest levels. NAFO has again ignored the advice of its scientific council on Greenland halibut, establishing a harvest level well-above the recommended advice.
