Department of Fisheries and Oceans
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Released: 14 June, 2000

Year 2000 Management Measures For Northern Cod (Division 2J3KL)

June 14, 2000

OTTAWA -- The Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced management measures for the conduct of an index fishery on the northern cod stock in Division 2J3KL.

This fishery will be conducted with the primary objective of providing scientists with additional information necessary for the conservation and sustainable utilization of this stock. With a maximum harvest of 7,000 tonnes, consistent with the recommendation of the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (FRCC), this fishery will also provide limited economic opportunities to inshore fishermen eligible to participate.

"I am taking the necessary measures by reducing the total harvest for this stock, and I am implementing an index fishery to ensure data collection throughout all areas of Divisions 2J, 3K and 3L," Mr. Dhaliwal said. "I am counting on all fishers to cooperate closely with my officials to help ensure that vital information is collected on the present distribution, abundance and age composition of this stock."

The Minister also announced that a recreational/food fishery, subject to strict controls, will open for two 3-day weekends in the waters around Newfoundland and the Lower North Shore of Quebec. Last year, the harvest for this fishery was 378 tonnes in all areas of Newfoundland and Labrador.

"I recognize that importance of this recreational food fishery for Newfoundland, and that the restricted fishing opportunities over the last few years have been a hardship. In order to address these concerns, I will be consulting in Newfoundland and throughout Atlantic Canada on the introduction of a marine recreational licence and tagging system for introduction in 2001. Such a system would provide for more flexible regulation and effective management of this fishery," Mr. Dhaliwal added.

Dates for the recreational food fishery will be announced in the near future.

Recent scientific evidence indicates almost no increase in biomass in either the offshore or inshore stocks. In line with the recommendations of the FRCC, the sentinel fishery will continue this year and, as feasible, will be expanded to include additional sentinel sites in 2000. A sentinel fishery is a science-based data collection fishery conducted annually to gather specific information on the fishery by fishing year after year with the same gear, in the same area, for the same length of time. Sentinel fisheries have been on-going for more than 5 years in most areas.

The limited index fishery in 2000, as well as the on-going sentinel fishery, will provide additional valuable sources of information for future scientific assessments necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of this resource.

As in the previous year, access to 2J3KL cod will be allocated only to those who have few or no alternate fisheries. Accordingly, fishers with temporary shrimp licences will not be permitted access to this fishery in 2000. If the resource increases in the future, groundfish fishers with temporary shrimp licences will be provided access to this fishery.

The fishery will be restricted by area and gear, and closely monitored through an industry-funded mandatory Dockside Monitoring Program and at-sea observer program. Observers were deployed to the small boat fishery in 1999 and this will continue in 2000.

More detailed information is available in the attached backgrounder: Management Measures For 2000 Northern Cod Fishery in Division 2J3KL.

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