Newfoundland and Labrador鈥檚 Liberal premier has once again penned a letter to the federal government opposing one of its decisions 鈥� this time about the reopening of the province鈥檚 commercial northern cod fishery.
In a letter Wednesday to federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, Premier Andrew Furey said foreign offshore vessels have no place in the province鈥檚 fishery. The federal Fisheries Department鈥檚 decision to allow these boats to catch cod in the reinstated fishery is 鈥渁n affront鈥� to Newfoundland and Labrador鈥檚 fishers and processors, and the work they鈥檝e done to help the cod stock grow, Furey wrote.
Newfoundland and Labrador, and its small coastal communities, 鈥渄eserve to be the sole beneficiary鈥� of the northern cod fishery, he said.
鈥淭hese decisions should not have been taken without consultations with stakeholders in Newfoundland and Labrador,鈥� Furey wrote, adding: 鈥淭he time has come for the province to have a direct say over our resources.鈥�
Lebouthillier announced last week that she was ending a 32-year moratorium on the commercial northern cod fishery, calling the decision 鈥渁 historic milestone for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.鈥� The moratorium was imposed on July 2, 1992, after cod stocks off the province鈥檚 east cost collapsed.
The Fisheries Department said last week that Canadian vessels would be allowed to catch 18,000 tonnes in the 2024 season, which represents 95 per cent of the total allowable catch. The rest 鈥� roughly 950 tonnes 鈥� will go to foreign vessels according to a previous agreement with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, the department said.
Many have opposed the decision. George Rose, a marine scientist who studied Newfoundland cod for decades, said that by lifting the moratorium, the Fisheries Department is 鈥渞olling the dice on this important fishery.鈥� The northern cod stock off the province鈥檚 east coast hasn鈥檛 grown significantly since 2015-16, he added.
The union representing inshore fishers and processing plant workers has called on Ottawa to reinstate the moratorium. The 14,000-member Fish, Food and Allied Workers union said Tuesday that Canadian offshore vessels, which it calls 鈥渄raggers,鈥� should not be given part of the catch, nor should foreign fleets.
Union president Greg Pretty has said the offshore ships are 鈥渆nvironmentally destructive鈥� and do not contribute to the long-term sustainability of the province鈥檚 coastal communities.
Inshore fishers operate smaller boats 鈥� typically shorter than 20 metres 鈥� and they fish closer to shore than the offshore vessels, which are longer than 30 metres, according to the Fisheries Department.
A closely monitored 鈥渟tewardship鈥� cod fishery began in 2006. Its catch limit was 13,000 tonnes in 2023, and it was open exclusively to inshore fishers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In his letter Wednesday, Furey said he has raised his objections with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He also demanded 鈥渁n immediate discussion on how our respective governments can structure a joint management approach to the provincial fishery.鈥�
Furey, the only Liberal provincial premier in the country, has previously taken aim at the federal Liberals over carbon pricing.
Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press
