Minister Comments on Annual NAFO Meeting

The 33rd Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Annual Meeting concluded in Halifax, Friday (September 23) after a week of discussions regarding the fisheries management and conservation of stocks straddling the 200-mile limit, as well as those on the Flemish Cap. While there were positive developments regarding the rebuilding of cod and American plaice, the Provincial Government continues to be concerned about a number of issues, including the by-catch of moratoria species, catch estimates of Greenland halibut, and the continued decline of shrimp in area 3L.

“The recovery of cod and American plaice stocks is a key priority for the province, and so it was encouraging to see NAFO adopt new rebuilding plans for these species on the Grand Banks,” said the Honorable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “These plans are more in line with a precautionary approach to fisheries management, and so I look forward to seeing them implemented. However, the Provincial Government is concerned that some directed fishing of American plaice and cod is occurring outside the 200-mile limit, and we feel the rebuilding plans can only be successful if NAFO applies enforcement measures to keep by-catches to the lowest possible levels. The reduction of the by-catch allowance for 3NO cod from five per cent to four per cent, as decided at this year’s meeting, may help address this issue.”

With respect to Greenland halibut, NAFO agreed to decrease the total allowable catch by five per cent from 17,185 tonnes in 2011 to 16,326 tonnes in 2012, as part of the new management approach adopted for this stock last year. An area of concern for the Provincial Government continues to be discrepancies between estimated catches of Greenland halibut by the NAFO Scientific Council and reported catches.

“These discrepancies have been a long-standing issue for the province, as it undermines our confidence in NAFO’s ability to properly manage this stock,” said Minister Jackman. “We will continue to stress the need for accurate and reliable reporting of catches.”

In response to the rapid decline of shrimp in area 3L, NAFO further reduced the quota to 12,000 tonnes for 2012 and 9,350 tonnes for 2013. The decline of this stock is a concern for the province and particularly for the Newfoundland and Labrador inshore sector, which holds the largest allocation in this fishery. The impact of this decline on future quota allocations by the Federal Government must be considered in the pending federal review of the entire northern shrimp allocation that was announced this past spring.

“The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will fully engage in the federal review of the northern shrimp allocation process to ensure that decisions represent the best interests of our province,” said Minister Jackman.

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Media contact:
Jason Card
Director of Communications
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
709-729-3733, 699-0470
jasoncard@gov.nl.ca 

2011 09 26                                 2:00 p.m.