The Atlantic Cod Fishery Collapse

The Story of the Evolution towards a Non-renewable Resource

When

• In 1992, the Canadian Government issued a moratorium on cod fishing in the Atlantic Region (but was a result of years of resource-abuse).

• In specific peril, were the once plentiful cod supply on the Scotian Shelf

Where

• The Atlantic Region of Canada (NL, NS, PEI and NB) were directly impacted by the moratorium.

• NL was hit particularly hard, as the fishing industry was the primary industry driving the economy.

Who?

• Fishers and their families, government employees, plant owners, operators and workers, railway and trucking industry, etc.

• Entire communities suffered deep economic loss, and some have yet to fully recover.

The Story

• In 1992, the devastating collapse of the cod stocks off the east coast of Newfoundland forced the Canadian government to take drastic measures and close the fishery. Over 40,000 people lost there jobs. The communities are still struggling to recover. The marine ecosystem is still in a state of collapse.

• But, the story begins long before the actual collapse in 1992…

Fishing – A Natural Resource

• When John Cabot first arrived via the waters off the shore of NL, he was astounded by the abundance of fish, commenting that it could serve to sustain the new world infinitely.

Science helps to tell the tale..

• Until now, such tales of the abundance of cod in the North Atlantic were just that - stories. But a landmark study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire has, for the first time, quantified the species prior to intensive commercial fishing and the subsequent collapse of stocks.

• Using data from thousands of dusty fishermen's logbooks discovered in U.S. archives and museums, Andy Rosenberg and Jeff Bolster calculated that there were about 1.26 million tonnes of cod on the Scotian Shelf in 1852.

• Today, there is an estimated 50,000 tonnes. • Once a dominant species, the volume of cod on the

Scotian Shelf has plunged 96 per cent since the 1850s.

Traditional Fishing Methods (pre-1950s)

• Canadians had traditionally fished mainly in waters relatively closer to shore

• used small craft using traditional techniques such as traps, jigging from a dory, or small inshore gill-nets, longlines or small trawlers.

• They joined fishing boats from Spain and Portugal whose crews had also traditionally fished in the northwest Atlantic since before Newfoundland was colonized.

• The most productive cod fishing area in the vast northwest Atlantic region was located off southern Labrador and to the east of Newfoundland

INVASION OF THE DISTANT-WATER FISHING FACTORIES

• The 1950s ushered in the boom-bust phase of the Atlantic Cod Fishery

• Newfoundland's "banks" or "deep sea" schooner and dory fishery, which had been established in the late nineteen century, was displaced by a new breed of factory-fishing vessel.

• These new "factory trawlers" came from countries thousands of miles away to legally fished to within 12 miles of the eastern Canadian

• They set and hauled their colossal nets from the stern, quickly processing and deep-freezing nearly all the fish they caught, working around the clock in all but the worst weather conditions.

Destruction of the Northern Cod

• By the 1960s, 800,000 tons of cod were being fished annually

• “Improved” technology, primarily the large factory ships, resulted in a huge increase in catch tonnage.

• By 1975, the northern cod was in a rapid decline, with yields of less than 300,000 tons

Destructive Dragger Technology

• Draggers were destructive to the cod fishery because: – Damages ocean-floor ecosystems– Collects fish that are spawning, disrupting

breeding habits– Disperses eggs that have been laid on the

ocean floor

What did the Government Do?

• Although the government did eventually intervene, it was a “too little, too late” approach.

• The Canadian government failed to take the drastic steps necessary early on to preserve the cod fishery, as officials ignored evidence from as early as 1986 that the cod fishery was in jeopardy.

Governmental Approach

The Good• Banished foreign fishing

fleets (200 nautical mile zone)

• Enacted quotas on catch for Canadian fishers

• Sought expert advice

• Instituted a moratorium

The Bad• Promoted Canadian

private fishing fleets• Waited too long before

enacting quotas; quotas were too high

• Ignored early scientific evidence that pointed to a massive decline in the cod stock

• Instituted a moratorium that put tens of thousands out of work, straining social welfare programs

The Result

• Newfoundland became an economic calamity

• Many who relied on the fishing industry were forced to relocate

• Huge strain on the local and national economy

• Heavy regulation of the fishing industry (is this a good or bad thing?) through licensing and quotas

Food for Thought

1. List the points at which the Canadian Government failed to manage the Atlantic fisheries properly. Provide reasons for why the government failed at each step.

2. Compare and contrast traditional fishing methods in Newfoundland with those commercialized methods introduced by foreign countries.

3. What were the results of the fisheries collapse? How does it continue to impact the Atlantic fisheries?

4. Why was the 200 nautical mile rule unsuccessful? Explain.

5. Why did the government fail to heed scientific warnings? Has that changed today?