On November 27, 2018, the Northern Cod Acoustic Tracking Project held its first joint meeting with the Steering and Technical Committees in St. John’s, NL. The project is a key part of the Northern Cod (2J3KL) Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) led by the Atlantic Groundfish Council (formerly GEAC) and the Association of Seafood Producers. The […]
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Marks & Spencer visits NL
In November 2018, Marks & Spencer (M&S), multinational retailer and buyer of Newfoundland cod, visited Newfoundland and Labrador. During their time in NL, Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries (left) and Hannah Macintyre, Fisheries & Aquaculture Manager (center) attended briefings with officials with Atlantic Groundfish Council, as well as science and resource management […]
Year-round harvesters continue focus on resource sustainability for cod off south coast of NL
St. John’s – Today, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans held a technical briefing on the latest science assessment for the 3Ps cod stock, located off the south coast of Newfoundland. “There were positive signals presented in the 2018 assessment and we hope this develops into a trend. That said, the stock remains in the cautious […]
Backgrounder: Important facts on spawning and “pre-spawning aggregations”
Accusations that our sector fishes during the spawning season have been verified to be completely false by DFO. In DFO’s stock assessment of NAFO subdivision 3Ps cod, page 4 of each document clearly identifies spawning season as late March to early June. This fishery is open to all sectors through February. (See http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/365434.pdf and http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40597441.pdf). […]
NL Members meet with NL MP Caucus
On September 5, 2018, the NL-Based members of the Atlantic Groundfish Council (formerly GEAC) and Canadian Association of Prawn Producers were pleased to meet with the NL Members of Parliament in St. John’s, NL to discuss the importance of the fishery in the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.
DFO’s approach to area closures risks amplifying negative impacts on fishing industry
GEAC seeks solutions that minimize affect on fishing industry St. John’s – The Government of Canada is working towards an international commitment to protect 10% of its marine areas by 2020. The Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC), which represents large-vessel groundfish harvesters in Atlantic Canada, understands and accepts that commitment. GEAC, along with other industry groups, […]
Unit 1 and 2 Redfish: Making the Most of the Future
Units 1 and 2 Redfish is a good news story. As recently as 2010, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) recommended the species in this stock be listed as endangered and threatened. Fortunately, favorable environmental conditions from 2011 to 2013 allowed extraordinary recruitment. With millions of tonnes of mostly juvenile […]
BACKGROUNDER – A Comparison of Icelandic Cod and Northern Cod Considers All Removals
The left graph compares the fishery mortality (or TAC- total allowable catch) to Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB) in NL vs Iceland. However, it excludes natural mortality of each stock, which significantly changes the health of the stock and consequently, the acceptable fishery removals. Natural mortality for Northern Cod is much higher than that of Icelandic […]
DFO Decrease in Northern Cod Catch Falls Short of Precautionary Approach
St. John’s – Late yesterday afternoon, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced the 2018 catch limit for the 2J3KL Northern Cod Stewardship (commercial) fishery to be 9,500 mt. It’s a reduction of about 25% from 2017. While some groups were advocating for minimal changes in 2018, the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC), recommended that […]
Backgrounder – Differences between Icelandic Cod & Northern Cod
Comparing the harvest rate of Northern Cod with that of Icelandic Cod is highly inappropriate and misleading. The natural mortality of the two stocks are drastically different: Assumed natural mortality of Icelandic Cod is 0.2. Natural mortality of Northern Cod is almost 4 times higher at 0.74 (as per DFO technical briefing, March 2018). As […]