Newfoundland and Labrador Union FFAW continues to be vocal in its criticism of the Canadian government for moving the northern cod stock from critical to cautious, and opening a commercial fishery for the first time in decades.
The concern is that NAFO will enable access to northern grounds for both Canadian and foreign trawlers later this year. FFAWclaims that the European Union is awaiting approval of their harvesting proposal from the NAFO Commission to get access to the fishery.
‘It is our strong opinion that the NAFO Commission should defer reopening the offshore allocation for the 2J3KL northern cod fishery. The reopening of the commercial cod fishery was done under poor faith by Minister Lebouthillier and Prime Minster Justin Trudeau; with both went against the advice of science, environment and industry, and also broke a four-decade commitment to our province,’ said Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union president Greg Pretty.
‘By lifting the 32-year moratorium on commercial fishing on June 26, 2024, the Government of Canada is further corporatising public resources, limiting the economic sustainability of coastal communities, and breaking a decades long promise to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.’
According to FFAW, the frequently referenced 115,000-tonne commitment is well documented. This entailed a pledge that the first 115,000 tonnes of 2J3KL Northern cod quota would be allocated to inshore and Indigenous groups, ahead of access for offshore/corporate groups. FFAW states that this was to reflect the economic and historical dependency the inshore fleet has on the resource, which is repeatedly cited by the federal government pre-1982.
‘Instead, at a total harvest amount of nearly 19,000 tonnes, Canadian and international offshore draggers are being permitted access to harvest Northern cod,’ FFAW states.
‘Historic overfishing by offshore draggers was the primary factor that contributed to the collapse of Northern cod, and their preference to fish on pre-spawning aggregations is gravely concerning to those of us working towards the recovery of a culturally and economically significant species,’ said long-time fish harvester, FFAW Inshore Council member, and 2J3KL Cod Working Group member, Glen Winslow.
‘It’s certainly a massive disappointment that our own federal representatives have failed to stand up for our province,‘ Greg Pretty said.
‘NAFO should be standing up for those who say it’s too soon to allow offshore draggers back on the stock and reject the EU’s proposal for a 2024 fishery.’
