Ottawa slightly increases allowable cod fishing catch, calls it 'historic return' of fishery

The federal government is reopening the province's cod fishery that was shut down to commercial fishing 32 years ago. The announcement this morning is going to allow a small increase in commercial fishing activity compared to the very strict limits that have been in place for decades now. And Janice McGregor is in Ottawa to help us understand the political significance of this. Doesn't really open the floodgates as far as numbers. What was it, 250,000 tons in the peak of the COD fishery? Just a small increase and certainly compared to that. But is it a turning point in government policy, Janice? Yeah, indeed, Heather. And this is exactly the point. You know, it was a two page press release we had out first thing this morning from Fisheries Minister Gianne Libertier. And it uses the word historic. I went through and counted 6 times. But yes, as you say, this isn't going to be anywhere near the size of the total allowable catch that used to be harvested around the island in Newfoundland in the late 80s. That was, as you say, up to 250,000 tons. But of course, the fish were getting smaller. And so to save the fish, they had to bring in what was then a very devastating moratorium, a very difficult political decision for the Conservative government of the day. Then Minister John Crosby. Of course, in many angry scenes, it's literally historic political footage in terms of understanding the economy of that province and a lot of anger directed at Ottawa for that. In that time, it was essentially people considered it one of the largest industrial layoffs in Canadian history. So now we have a new era, perhaps the federal government positioning this as a first step towards reestablishing northern commercial cod fishery. This total allowable catch, though, is only going to be 18,000 tons. That's only an incremental step up from the 13,000 tons that had been allowed under very strictly managed conditions up to this point. The minister is touting this as a milestone, saying how they're cautiously but optimistically building back this fishery. But it's unclear whether fish stocks are really at a place where you could build it back up anywhere close to the size it used to be. Earlier this year, a scientific assessment moved the cod stock from what was called a a critical classification to a cautious classification. But the department also said at that time that stocks really haven't grown since 2016. So jobs don't come back unless the fish do. And again, you mentioned the wording that the Liberal government is using. Is there any political significance, Janice, that it's touting this also as an end to the moratorium? Yeah, absolutely. Look, I think it's a sign of sort of the politics here. I go through it and not only is this a release from the minister responsible for fisheries, but the other two cabinet ministers representing Newfoundland, Labrador are quoted here, plus all four other federal Liberal MPs from the province. Look, this comes at a time when anger in Atlantic Canada over fuel taxes is at a intense place. The disillusionment Liberals generally, both provincially and federally, is really taking hold, particularly in the ridings in the northeast. And of course, 84% of this new kind of allowable catch is going to be for inshore fisheries around the northeast of the province. So they are going to have a new opportunity, although a limited 1. Janice, thank you for helping us understand that context. More to come and certainly out of Newfoundland and Labrador as well today.