08/05/2016
The one-year management approach for the 2J3KL Stewardship Cod fishery is based on a proposal submitted by the Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council, a collaboration between FFAW-Unifor and processing companies.
The new approach will focus on landing a high quality product over an extended season as the first step in transitioning to the new cod fishery. In the coming years, the new fishery must be focused on maximizing the value of Newfoundland and Labrador groundfish products to improve economic viability and the long-term sustainability of owner-operator enterprises, onshore processing plants and coastal communities.
This approach will give harvesters an increased opportunity to harvest and will give the processing sector opportunities to market more high quality cod with a focus on customer needs.
In a recent meeting with FFAW-Unifor, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Dominic LeBlanc, confirmed that the first 115,000mt of Northern cod will be allocated to the inshore fleet. The new management approach combined with this commitment is very positive news for the future of the cod fishery.
The 2016 fishery will move away from the three week, IQ-based system to a regime that includes:
- An extended season
- Weekly landing limits
- Removal of the requirement to fish within the harvester’s home bay
Some management measures previously in place for the fishery will continue, including:
- Gear restrictions
- Small fish protocol
- Monitoring of landings
- Logbook completion
FFAW-Unifor looks forward to seeing that details of the harvesting plan are finalized as soon as possible so that harvesters, plants and entire communities can quickly begin the process of developing the fishery of the future. Other management details, including the opening date and season duration, will be announced by DFO in the coming days.