We have learned nothing from East Coast Cod Crisis

[searun]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/northern-cod-rebuilding-plan-dfo-1.5856369

28 Years of Managing through applying fishery restrictions while avoiding addressing the real reasons behind stock declines and Canada is no further ahead in rebuilding East Coast Cod. Apparently we have learned nothing from our past failures, and here on the Pacific Coast DFO and the ENGO's plan to repeat the same failed strategy by focusing on low cost, ineffective fishery closures....not addressing the real root problems responsible for the collapse in the first place....does this sound strangely familiar????

Why can't we learn from our own history?

Here's a few clips from the article to peak your interest......

"Decades after the moratorium on cod fishing, the federal government has quietly released its vision to rebuild the northern cod stocks in Newfoundland and Labrador's waters."....more fishing closures!​

"Northern cod numbers have ticked upwards since the 1992 moratorium brought harvesting and processing to a screeching halt."

"But 28 years later, stocks remain well below pre-moratorium levels, and — in DFO terminology — remain squarely in a "critical zone."

"Fishing not the biggest problem"​

The plan acknowledges that fishing is not the main reason cod numbers remain a shadow of its former teeming bounty.

"The primary threat limiting survival and recovery of 2J3KL cod today is high natural mortality," states the plan. (The 2J3KL refers to the fishing management zone.)

That natural mortality includes everything from seal predation to temperature effects but more so than those factors, the plan highlights shortages of food that cod need, particularly capelin.

"High mortality rates may be related to cod dying of starvation."

While the full annual cod numbers assessment didn't go ahead in 2020 due to the pandemic, DFO science this past spring showed cod are resorting to cannibalism to survive, with a non-profit conservation group calling for the rebuilding plan to show leadership in the area.

• Conservation group criticizes northern cod quota as 'irresponsible'
• With natural prey like capelin and shrimp in decline, cod are eating their young: DFO

The plan offers up no path toward tackling the food source problem. It emphasizes the uncertainty surrounding that mortality makes it impossible to predict where cod numbers will be three years from now, and leaves the capelin issue as one largely outside human control.

"One of the only factors that we have any influence on is fishing effort, and that's what this plan focuses on," Diamond told CBC Radio's The Broadcast.

Sullivan disputed the starvation problem, saying there isn't enough evidence at the moment to support it, but he would like to see more investigation as to what's going on with the mortality rates.

"If the fish are not healthy, we've got to get to the bottom of it so we can understand it," he said.

 

[Whole in the Water]

As herring and other bait fish numbers have reduced over time on both coasts due commercial overfishing and poor management by DFO caving into political pressure, seals have turned to turned from eating bait fish (a traditional food) to eating more salmon and on the case on the east coast, cod. This would not be a problem per se if cod and salmon population numbers were not so low in many areas. Like it or not, DFO is going to have to reduce seal numbers if they want to increase both wild salmon and cod populations. Common sense, ongoing on site observations and increasing amounts of research are clearly indicating this.

This will be a very tough sell to ENGO's and the general public - but it must be done!

Another option favored by DFO in the past is to drastically cut back on the commercial and especially recreational fishery. This will not solve the problem but it makes it look like DFO is trying to do something, however in the long term it just ruins the economies of coastal communities - so much pain for no gain!

IMO there needs to be a concerted effort from the various fishing and tourism sectors and local govt's, backed up with more solid research to push for some well managed seal culls and ongoing management of seal numbers.

 

[agentaqua]

Thanks for your comments, WitW. Bang-on wrt West Coast.

The situation on the East Coast in somewhat different wrt both seal and fish spp.

Problems on both coasts wrt harbour seals interception of localized stocks - which even includes crustaceans (eg. lobsters). There is almost zero salmon on the East Coast as compared to even the reduced numbers of Pacific salmon today. No sea lions on the East Coast but instead have both harp and grey seals - which really focus on groundfish stocks (eg. cod), as well as small pelagics (capelin & herring). Hooded seals are only in the very Northern latitudes. Capelin is the missing component in cod recovery as searuns post above illustrates.

All 3 seal species have dramatically increased their numbers in the past 20-50 years - particularly the harp seals since IFAW and Greenpeace were so successful in stopping the EU markets for fur products incl. pelts from the harp seal harvest there with unintended but predictable socio-economic devastation in inuit and Northern communities; while those ENGOs spokepersons did not loose their rather extensive salaries during these times:

Harp seal numbers have increased from ~2m 1970 to ~9M today: http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40878478.pdf

Pretty similar population graph as compared to West Coast harbour seals:

 

[wildmanyeah]

the plan highlights shortages of food that cod need, particularly capelin.

"Historically, a domestic fishery with an estimated annual harvest of about 25,000 tonnes existed for spawning capelin on Newfoundland and Labrador beaches to provide food, bait and fertilizer for local residents.

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s a very small number of fish harvesters prosecuted the capelin fishery for commercial purposes; however with the increased demand for roe in the Japanese capelin market from the mid to the late 1980’s, so too did the number of commercial fish harvesters participating in the fishery.

The inshore fishery for roe capelin began during the late 1970s with Japan being the primary market destination for roe-bearing females. In recent years, new markets are being developed for non-roe-bearing females and males. Meanwhile, difficulties with the capelin fisheries in Norway and Iceland have resulted in increased demand for capelin products from Newfoundland and Labrador resulting in improved market opportunities and prices."

"
There are approximately 71 active mobile gear participants and 207 active fixed gear participants in the capelin 2+3 fishery for a total of 278 active participants.

In 2017, capelin licenses were issued to 1,259 fixed gear fish harvesters and 195 mobile gear fish harvesters. There is limited entry in the capelin 2+3 fishery; no new licenses are available.

By way of comparison, there were 947 licenced capelin fish harvesters in 2+3 in 1984. This increased to a high of 2,693 in 1989 with most of the expansion in the fixed gear sector. Mobile gear licences increased from 190 licenses in 1984 to a peak of 233 licenses in 1988.

Included in the number of commercial licences are communal commercial capelin licences issued to Indigenous organizations in Newfoundland and Labrado"

 

[OldBlackDog]

And once again it shows how well Politicians and DFO managed the fishery to death.

Doing the same thing on the West Coast.

 

[wildmanyeah]

 

[agentaqua]

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-93-all-points-west/clip/15922986-on-30th-anniversary-atlantic-cod-moratorium-b.c.-learn