Cod Making Big Comeback Off Newfoundland and Labrador

Dr. Rowe with a large cod to be tagged and released in Bonavista Corridor. Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-10-great-northern-cod-comeback.html Photo credit: Laura Wheeland c/o Dr. George Rose

The northern cod biomass, according to a study in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquadic Sciences, has increased from tens of thousands of tons to 200,000 tons and growing in the last 10 years in the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador. This is a rebound, the study reported, that is one of the most significant comebacks of any seafood in the world. This was once considered among the largest cod stocks in the world before its dramatic decline in the 1990s.

More than the almost 20-year moratorium on fishing cod in these Canadian waters, scientists think that leading factors in the rebound are warming waters to the south—sending cod north to cooler water temperatures—and the reemergence of capelin, a primary food source for cod. That there has been little or no cod fishing there has also been a factor, as it enabled the stock to produce many and large cod fish. These large fish produce more young, increasing the chances for greater survival rates.

Dr. George Rose, who led the research in this study, said, “The important take-away from this study is that with favorable environmental conditions, in this case the increase in capelin as a key food for this stock, and a severe reduction of fishing, even the most decimated fish stocks have the potential to recover.” Rose noted the importance of responsible management, saying, “Without a doubt, maintaining low removals of this stock over the past decades has been essential to recovery. While the timing of a full recovery remains uncertain, continued protection from excessive fishing remains essential to achieving that outcome.”

The important message in the study is that recovery is possible with harvest restraint based on science and management—that, and the importance of the marine ecosystem, especially with respect to climate and food, said Rose.

Read the complete study at: http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full/10.1139/cjfas-2015-0346#.Vm4zcHtFPwA