Think salmon and killer whales! Remember this.

[OldBlackDog]

Fisheries Minister Leblanc to make decision on northern cod fishery in April
Minister says seals are a big factor, but solutions are not simple
CBC News · Posted: Mar 27, 2018 8:15 PM NT | Last Updated: an hour ago

With cod stocks again on the decline — by a shocking 30 per cent, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) — the federal fisheries minister says a decision about the fishery will be made within two weeks.

Dominic Leblanc said there are a series of factors at play, but one is the grey seal — an animal thought to cause as much as 50 per cent of natural deaths among full-size cod, according to DFO scientists.

• Northern cod stock down by 30%, still in 'critical zone'
• 70 per cent decline in capelin not due to fishing, say scientists

"There's no doubt that the seals represent a significant challenge," Leblanc said in the House of Commons on Tuesday. "I've had this discussion with industry all over Atlantic Canada. The solutions aren't simple with respect to seals."

Leblanc said the federal government has been speaking with the provincial government, to industry and Indigenous groups to "understand what their views are of the scientific advice."

Fisher harvesters were counting on a cod recovery after declines in species like shrimp and crab. (Eddy Kennedy/CBC)
While he said a decision on the northern cod fishery was imminent, Leblanc also said he'd make a decision on the capelin fishery.

The tiny fish are known to be an indicator of how cod stocks are doing, and any decision made regarding that fishery is expected to have an impact on the recovery of northern cod.

Reaction on the decline of Northern Cod
We'll hear from a fisher, the Groundfish Industry Development Council and a research scientist at Memorial University. 24:17
From rebound to decline again
Newfoundland and Labrador declared a moratorium on cod in 1992. The stock had been rebounding since 2012 and some harvesters had returned to commercial fishing under much smaller quotas than 25 years ago.

DFO increased the northern cod quota from 4,000 tonnes in 2015 to 10,000 tonnes in 2016 and upwards again to 13,000 tonnes in 2017.

Cod stocks have taken a dive again in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a 30 per cent decline in 2017, according to DFO. (Jane Adey/CBC)
But at a news conference last Friday, it announced the stock had taken a sharp turn downwards again. Scientists now estimate the total stock at 315,000 tonnes.

According to DFO, the biggest reason was a spike in the natural mortality rate. The department expects a further decline in 2018.

"These large increases in natural mortality can happen, and they're very hard to predict," said DFO scientist Karen Dwyer, last week.

 

[Reel Time]

Your kidding right? Seal populations in BC fluctuate 10's of thousand over the decades and plow through Salmon - and you want us to think Pacific Salmon are endangered by Killer whale numbers??? Really. With southern numbers endangered and northern showing slight increases - think before posting. Think Low Wild salmon and Fish farms.

 

[Cuba Libre]

Reel time-- I dont get your point about the CBC news story that OBD posted. LeBlanc's quote "
"There's no doubt that the seals represent a significant challenge," Leblanc said in the House of Commons on Tuesday. "I've had this discussion with industry all over Atlantic Canada. The solutions aren't simple with respect to seals." What this tells me is that the Minister is NOT going to do anything about seals or sealions in BC either.

 

[Reel Time]

I was just going of the Post Title "Think Salmon and Killer Whales" - as if Killer Whales are the equivalent to Seals in this story. I don't believe for one second Killer Whales impact is comparable to Seals...as the title may suggest.

 

[tincan]

It's safe to say that in BC (the story was from Atlantic Canada) BOTH seals and killer whales are having a significant impact on salmon populations. For chinook salmon is the SOG in particular it is true that:

1) Killer Whales eat the most ADULT chinook salmon of any 'user' group (estimates between 400k-1M annually)
2) Harbour Seal east the most JUVENILE chinook salmon of any 'user' group (estimates in the several millions)

I was just going of the Post Title "Think Salmon and Killer Whales" - as if Killer Whales are the equivalent to Seals in this story. I don't believe for one second Killer Whales impact is comparable to Seals...as the title may suggest.

 

[wildmanyeah]

Pacific cod population in the Salish sea was over fish and has never recovered if you want to relate it too here. Used to be a good size commercial fishery in Puget Sound. Crashed in the early 1990’s just like the chinook salmon populations did.