MEDIA RELEASE: Federal Fisheries Minister Chose to Re-Open Northern Cod Commercial Fishery Against Recommendation for Stewardship Fishery

ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Union representing fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador have received more documents submitted by the Government of Canada in connection with the federal injunction filed by FFAW-Unifor in July, proving Minister Lebouthillier’s blatant negligence in ending the moratorium on Northern cod.

These recent documents show that, despite insistence from NL Liberal MPs and DFO officials, Minister Diane Lebouthillier was presented with three options to decide a management approach for Northern cod in the 2024 season. In a document issued by the office of Deputy Minister Annette Gibbons on May 6, 2024, the recommended option from DFO bureaucrats and scientists was to maintain a stewardship fishery and maximum allowable harvest (MAH) level of 13,000t, reflecting a more cautious approach that would potentially result in less dramatic stock declines in the future and could help to avoid challenges in the management of the stock in the longer term.

The second option presented to the Minister was to re-open a commercial fishery with a total allowable catch (TAC) of 15,000t (slight increase in removals), with directed Canadian access provided to the inshore fleet and Indigenous groups only. The third option, the option selected by the Minister, was to re-open a commercial fishery with a TAC of 18,000t (moderate increase in removals), with directed Canadian access provided to the inshore fleet, Indigenous groups, and the offshore fleet. It was cautioned that this option may increase the risk of stock decline into the Critical Zone. Additionally, it was noted that the inclusion of offshore harvesters would be opposed by the inshore fleet as it deviates from the current sharing commitment contained in the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP).

“The veil has been lifted on the Minister and the Liberal MPs who defended the decision for a commercial fishery by blatantly lying to the inshore harvesters that we represent, and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador”, says Greg Pretty, FFAW-Unifor President. “To underscore just how insensitive and politically motivated the Minister’s decision was, the options were followed by written discretion that DFO would develop documents to address negative feedback from stakeholders such as the FFAW. They had full awareness that the inshore would not support the decision, and yet, they moved on a false narrative that a commercial fishery was the only way forward.”

By lifting the 32-year moratorium on commercial fishing of Northern cod, DFO has further corporatized public resources, limited the economic sustainability of coastal communities, and broke a decades long commitment to the Newfoundland and Labrador inshore, which is also acknowledged in Tab 3 of the document:  The inshore fleet strongly supports maintaining a stewardship fishery and the commitment to allocate the first 115,000t of directed Canadian access to the inshore sector and Indigenous groups in NL. The offshore fleet strongly opposes this commitment and continuation of a stewardship fishery that denies their access.

“This is complete mismanagement of an important and historic resource that demonstrates not only incompetence in governance, but calculated deception by sitting federal government. We look more and more forward to our day in court,” concludes Pretty.

The injunction and application for judicial review filed by FFAW-Unifor is set to be heard in federal court on October 17.

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