Attention 3Ps inshore fleet: have your say on rebuilding plan for south coast cod

Should the impact of seals on the 3Ps cod stock be incorporated into a rebuilding plan? (Because it's not.) Should offshore draggers be banned from fishing 3Ps cod while the stock remains in the critical zone? (Because they're not.)

Fishings boats in Placentia in late December.

These are questions licensed, inshore owner-operator harvesters might consider in advance of a meeting Wednesday (Jan. 12th) of a working group assembled by Fisheries and Oceans to draft a rebuilding plan for the 3Ps cod stock.

DFO scientists said in November the stock remains in the critical zone.

SEA-NL wrote about the working group — and the fact that the voices of inshore harvesters has been excluded — in a Dec. 20th post: SEA-NL condemns DFO’s backroom plans for rebuilding south coast cod stock

DFO officials responded here.

Up until then, most 3Ps inshore harvesters weren't aware a rebuilding plan is being developed for the south coast cod stock.

DFO has also confirmed the department doesn’t intend to hold targeted public meetings to discuss the rebuilding plan.

SEA-NL GRANTED 'OBSERVER' STATUS

SEA-NL has been invited to attend the Wednesday meeting as an "observer", and is allotted a single seat.

As an observer, SEA-NL is only allowed to speak at the end of the meeting, or can submit a written submission once it's over.

To that end, if you're an inshore owner-operator who wants to have your say on a rebuilding plan, e-mail me at sea-nl@outook.com, and I'll make sure your comments are heard loud and clear.

The 3Ps cod fishery was shut down in 1993, but reopened in 1997 with a quota of 10,000 tonnes. Since then the quota has jumped to as high as 30,000 tonnes in 1999 to this year’s low of 1,345 tonnes, half of the 2020 allocation.

Ryan Cleary,

SEA-NL