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FFAW Free Fish Day Gives Away 2,000lbs of Northern Cod in 35 Minutes

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FFAW Free Fish Day Gives Away 2,000lbs of Northern Cod in 35 Minutes
July 17, 2024

FFAW-Unifor offered the public free, fresh Northern codfish this morning, July 17 beginning at 9:00am at the Harbour front in St. John’s. Announced only yesterday, community members began to gather at 7:30am in anticipation of landing a fresh Northern cod, donated by local Sentinel Fishery Harvesters who are to be credited for nurturing the rebuilding of the Northern Cod stock by contributing to the Stewardship Fishery since 2006.

Nearly 2,000lbs of Northern cod was given away in 35 minutes to concerned residents that support the Union’s campaign to push back on the Government of Canada’s decision on June 26th to reopen the Commercial Cod Fishery with a share given to offshore draggers while the stock remains in the Cautious Zone. Offshore draggers are corporate owned, factory-freezer trawlers, 100ft or larger in length, that operate during periods of pre-spawning aggregations which significantly risks the continued recovery of the stock while removing socio-economic value from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Not only is the invitation for offshore draggers to return counter to DFO’s mandate for sustainability, but the decision is in clear violation of the 42-year commitment to inshore harvesters and their coastal communities that the first 115,000mt would be allocated to inshore and Indigenous groups – a commitment that has been evidenced in several government documents and policy pieces that FFAW compiled in a Submission that was presented to federal government last week.

FFAW would like to sincerely thank everyone that came this morning to receive a free, fresh cod this morning as an important reminder of what Newfoundland and Labrador risks losing again due to political mismanagement. Some photos of the event are featured below.

The Union is reminding all Canadians engaged in the issue to sign and share their petition to express support for the reinstatement of the Northern Cod Stewardship Fishery and reaffirmation of the 115,000t commitment to NL inshore harvesters and Indigenous groups:

CLICK HERE FOR THE CAMPAIGN WEBSITE

CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE PETITION

REMINDER: PETITION IS A TWO STEP PROCESS – CHECK YOUR EMAIL AND CLICK THE CONFIRMATION LINK TO HAVE YOUR SIGNATURE CONFIRMED.

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Dr. Erin Carruthers

Dr. Erin Carruthers is the Science Director and Senior Fisheries Scientist with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), which is the labour union that represents the owner-operator fleet in Newfoundland and Labrador. The FFAW is committed to research and management that supports healthy oceans, fisheries, and coastal communities. Dr. Carruthers received her Ph. D. in Biology from Memorial University in 2011 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. Before coming to Newfoundland, Erin worked as a Research Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the St. Andrews Biological Station. Her current research program is co-constructed with fish harvesters and includes research on coastal fishing communities, collaborative longline and trap surveys, and best practices for the avoidance, handling and release of unwanted catch.