ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland: The Canadian government has lifted the decades-long moratorium on cod fishing in Newfoundland and Labrador, a landmark decision set to revive the province’s economy and small communities after more than 30 years.
The Fisheries Department announced Wednesday that it will reestablish a commercial cod fishery in the province, allowing a total allowable catch of 18,000 tons for the 2024 season.
“Ending the northern cod moratorium is a historic milestone for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,” said federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier in a news release. “We will cautiously but optimistically build back this fishery, benefiting coastal and Indigenous communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”
The cod moratorium was initially imposed on July 2, 1992, when cod stocks off the province’s northern and eastern coasts were collapsing. The ban aimed to help the fish population recover. Before the moratorium, the cod fishery was a primary economic driver for the province, and the ban led to tens of thousands of job losses.
John Crosbie, the federal fisheries minister at the time, famously retorted, “I didn’t take the fish out of the goddamned water!” to fishermen angry about the dwindling stocks.
He announced the moratorium a day later, leading to widespread unemployment and the closure of fish plants. Many young people in rural Newfoundland and Labrador migrated to St. John’s or mainland Canada for work, causing the province’s population to decline by about 10 percent between 1991 and 2001.
The moratorium, originally intended to last two years, extended indefinitely as fish stocks showed no signs of recovery. However, last year, Fisheries Department scientists used new modeling techniques that revealed the cod stock was no longer in the “critical zone.”
When a species is in this zone, it is recommended that it be left alone to allow for recovery. The stock is now in the “cautious zone,” meaning fisheries decisions should still prioritize regrowth.
The 2024 catch limit of 18,000 tons is a small fraction of the 120,000 tons allowed in February 1992, just months before the moratorium.
“Our province has waited a long time for the end of the northern cod moratorium,” said Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey in a social media post. “A sustainable harvest that provides maximum benefits for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is most important.”
