The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, has released a supplemental submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans so the search for solutions to rebuilding the Northern Cod stock can continue.

Since the prorogation of Parliament on January 6, 2025, all activities of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans have been halted. Prior to this, the committee was undertaking the important work of examining the state of the Northern Cod fishery so that the management mistakes of past and present, resulting from decisions of the Federal Government, would not be repeated.

While the work of the committee is at a full stop, Minister Byrne insists that the discussions around how to best manage a fishery, that had once sustained Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for centuries, must continue in another arena.

Minister Byrne’s supplemental submission to the committee includes the following proposed recommendations:

1. Total Allowable Catch for the 2025 fishery be set at removal levels recommended by Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s science in consultation with inshore stakeholders.
2. The Government of Canada commit to a robust science program related to Northern Cod.
3. The Government of Canada state an allocation policy for Northern Cod that is clear, unambiguous and not subject to reinterpretation.

Further, Minister Byrne’s submission provides specific perspectives on each of the following:

• What is the historical record of the Government of Canada’s allocation policy for Northern Cod quota awarded to inshore?
• Did the Federal Government ever split quota (two thirds inshore/one third offshore)?
• What are the conservation risks of foreign, distant water fleets entering the fishery?
• Are there other Atlantic fishery re-openings in 2024 that demonstrate the Department of Fisheries and Oceans failure to understand conservation mismanagement?

The complete supplemental submission can be viewed at Fisheries and Aquaculture – Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture.

Previously, on October 9, 2024, Minister Byrne presented to the Standing Committee urging them to address past and ongoing failures in fisheries management, and work to serve the interests of a better Northern Cod fishery, and a better future, for those who have been waiting in hope for its return. This presentation can be viewed at: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/FOPO/Meetings

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“The discussion of how to best manage this fishery must continue. The work of the Standing Committee may be halted at this time, but we cannot pause our 2025 fishing season. Securing a prosperous and sustainable future for the Northern Cod fishery is critical, now more than ever.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

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