Fisheries Minister Tom Hedderson says the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) has failed to protect fish stocks off Canada’s east coast by allowing the shrimp fishery to continue on the Flemish Cap despite scientific advice to the contrary.
In a special meeting of NAFO in London, England Monday, the organization decided against closing the Flemish Cap shrimp fishery in NAFO area 3M. The NAFO Scientific Council had advised the stock has collapsed and that the fishery should be closed.
“Our government is once again reminded of the need for a system of custodial management,” Hedderson said. “The decision to continue this fishery in the face of clear scientific advice and low commercial catch rates, speaks volumes as to NAFO’s lack of commitment to conservation and sustainable management.”
The Canadian delegation tabled a proposal to have this fishery shut down, in keeping with scientific advice.
“Even though the Canadian delegation held firm in advancing their position and took the lead in proposing the closure, the unfortunate reality is that NAFO has yet again demonstrated its inability to provide effective stewardship of fish stocks,” Hedderson said.
According to a news release, the Canadian proposal was supported by Norway, the United States and Iceland. However, six other member states supported a European Union proposal to simply reduce the allocated fishing days for shrimp on the Flemish Cap by 50 per cent.
The number of fishing days allocated to the countries engaged in this fishery have not been anywhere close to being completely utilized in recent years. Therefore, there will not be any effective reduction in the amount of shrimp that can be taken at all. This means that a significant fishery can still take place.
Hedderson noted that of great concern to Newfoundland and Labrador is the consequence of the decision for the 3L shrimp fishery, which straddles Canada’s 200-mile economic zone. This area is largely fished by this province’s inshore and offshore shrimp fleets.
 With the low catch rates and smaller shrimp in 3M, there will now be a powerful economic incentive to misreport 3L landings and overfish this stock, which is also showing early signs of resource decline.
“Our government is now calling upon the Government of Canada to maintain a high level of vigilance in the monitoring of foreign fishing in the 3L region,” Hedderson said. “We continue to ask the federal government to pursue a system of custodial management so that we can achieve the conservation that is required to protect the Newfoundland and Labrador fishing industry into the future.”