Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada term the recreational groundfish fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador as “public groundfish food and recreational fishery.” 

Recommendation 2

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada begin the practice of completing a full northern cod stock assessment in NAFO divisions 2J3KL on an annual basis. This practice should begin immediately.

Recommendation 3

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada, on an annual basis, lead the initiative to collect and compare northern cod assessments currently conducted separately by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods, and Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW-Unifor).

Recommendation 4

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada begin the practice of completing a full stock assessment of the capelin resource in NAFO divisions 2J3KL on an annual basis. This practice should begin immediately.

Recommendation 5

While current capelin stock assessment practice involves partial assessments in NAFO divisions 3KL, it is incumbent upon Fisheries and Oceans Canada to complete full stock assessments in NAFO divisions 2J3KL.

Recommendation 6

That the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard continue with new investments in science at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the subsequent hiring of additional scientists to assess the northern cod and capelin stocks in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

Recommendation 7

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada make every effort to control the seal populations through a sustainable and responsible harvest, to ensure that the seal populations do not prevent the northern cod stock from replenishing in the future.

Recommendation 8

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada immediately create a rebuilding plan for the northern cod stock. This plan should:

1. Be based on the best available science;
2. Include target reference points and timelines;
3. Ensure careful management for prey availability, especially capelin, and factor in ecosystem considerations like habitat protection and climate change;
4. Keep removals from all sources at the lowest possible level, until the stock clears the critical zone; and
5. Encourage the use of gear and harvesting methods proven to increase product quality and reduce bycatch and other ecosystem impacts.

Recommendation 9

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada implement management practices that deliver the greatest value from the resource with the lowest impact on stocks.

Recommendation 10

That Fisheries and Oceans Canada make the rationale for management decisions transparent and include publicly accessible information on stock status, reference points and management measures in the annual Sustainability Survey for Fisheries.