Canadian Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn announced in May that the Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for cod in Area 3Ps (southern Newfoundland) has been cut.
Not surprisingly, area fishermen aren’t pleased.
The cod TAC for 2006-07 has been set at 13,000 tons, down from 15,000 tons a year ago.
“This reduction is necessary for the future of the 3Ps cod fishery,” Hearn said. “The TAC levels that I am announcing today are cautious. However, room has been left to modestly test industry assertions that these stocks can support higher TACs.”
He added that the 3Ps cod allowance would be distributed according to existing sharing arrangements.
“DFO could have and should have left well enough alone,” said Earle McCurdy, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers. “This is based on otter trap hauls, which are notoriously erratic.”
Hearn also announced a TAC increase from 8,000 tons to 8,500 tons for the Unit II redfish. This 500-ton increase will be used to accommodate a scientific survey by the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council, according to Hearn.
He added that the TAC levels for 3Ps witch flounder (650 tons), and skate (1,050 tons) are unchanged for 2006-07 and the moratorium on 3Ps American plaice will remain in place. Decisions on other cod stocks and the recreational fishery throughout the Atlantic Region will be announced at a later date.
Hearn did say that DFO would continue to study 3Ps “because the department wants to know more about cod stocks in that zone.”