The future of what’s left of Newfoundland’s northern cod fishery remains uncertain as Robert Thibault, Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), mulls over a plan to shut it down.
His decision is expected in late March or early April, according to DFO communications advisor Sophie Galarneau.
The Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (FRCC), however, has not included a recommendation to close the cod fishery in its most recent report to Thibault. The council is funded largely by the department, and its mandate is to make quota recommendations to the Minister.
Meanwhile, at least one Newfoundland fisherman says he plans to fish for cod no matter what Thibault says or does.
“When you’re going to lose nearly all of your livelihood, you’ve got to stand up for yourself and fight,” said Gordon Janes, a fisherman out of Salvage on Bonavista Bay. “And if I get arrested, so be it; I’m not going to back down.”
Janes said he and his fellow fishermen believe there’s “a serious lack of science” involved in DFO decisions about Atlantic Canada fisheries. “They come out here, spend a day on the fishery, and then make a major decision to shut down the fishery. They operate on little or no information, and they just don’t listen to us,” he said.
“You know, my father and grandfather fished cod. Some years the cod just didn’t show up. It wasn’t because they were overfished or because of seals. That’s just the way it is. [DFO] Science doesn’t understand that.”
A fisherman for 20 years, Janes added, “If they do close the rest of the cod fishery, it’s the small fishermen who are going to be hurt the most. We’re going to lose our income, and there’ll be no stability for any of us.”
While Thibault has not made his decision, there are indications he is leaning toward closure. Asked about widespread reports that the Minister was talking to other government agencies about contingency plans for cod fisherman, DFO spokesman Steve Outhouse said, “although no decision has been made, we have taken steps to ensure that all contingencies will be covered. The Minister has engaged in discussions with representatives of federal agencies that have such responsibilities.”
For its part, the FRCC, in its 2003/2004 groundfish report to Thibault, recommends that that current conservation measures for cod stocks on Newfoundland’s south coast be continued, rather than be closed.
Council chairman Fred Woodman noted that there were significant improvements in some stocks.
Specifically, the Council also recommended for cod in the area between Newfoundland and Cape Breton that “a Sentinel and Commercial Index fishery continue, for which total removals from the Commercial Index portion not exceed 100 tons.”
The Council also continues to recommend that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans evaluate measures to protect juvenile groundfish in the Bird Islands area, including measures to exclude seals.
Fisherman Gordon Janes, nonetheless, was adamant about Thibault’s expected decision in March or April: “I’ve got to put my foot down. If I go to jail, so be it.”