Question Period Note: Northern Cod reopening of commercial fishery (2J3KL)

• The 2024 management approach for the 2J3KL (Northern) cod fishery, included the establishment of a commercial fishery with a Total Allowable Catch of 18,000 tonnes.
• The primary beneficiaries of this fishery are coastal communities of Newfoundland and Labrador. The 2024 decision provided a majority allocation of over 90 per cent of the Total Allowable Catch to the inshore sector and Indigenous groups of the province.
• The inshore and offshore fleets as well as the Nunatsiavut Government (NG), Innu, and NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) have fully utilized their allocations for the 2024-25 season.
• The outcomes of the 2025 stock assessment, along with perspectives from stakeholders, will inform a decision on the management approach for the upcoming season.

• The management decision for 2J3KL Northern cod for 2024 established a commercial fishery with a Canadian Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 18,000 tonnes (t), and included:
o Approximately 84 per cent of the TAC (TAC to the inshore fleet sector, with 20 per cent provided to 2J-based harvesters (Labrador);
o A 6.66 per cent Indigenous allocation equally distributed between the Nunatsiavut Government and Innu Nation;
o A special allocation of 3.33 per cent provided to NunatuKavut Community Council; and
o A six per cent allocation to the Canadian offshore fleet.
o The transition to a commercial fishery in 2024 aligned with other Canadian groundfish stocks that are in the Cautious zone of the Precautionary Approach Framework.
o The 2024 Northern cod season has been successful, with the inshore fleet harvesting 100 per cent of their allocation. The remaining allocations are anticipated to be fully utilized before the end of the season (on April 15).
• A decision on the 2025 management approach for Northern cod has not yet been made. The decision will consider the results of the March 2025 stock assessment, perspectives of stakeholders and Indigenous groups, as well as socio-economic considerations.
• Under Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) measures, the Canadian TAC is considered 95 per cent of an overall TAC with the remaining five per cent allocated to other NAFO Contracting Parties to be fished outside of Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

If pressed regarding fishing of Northern cod by foreign fleets
• As a responsible fishing nation, Canada cooperates with other countries on the sustainable management of transboundary and high seas fish stocks through participation in regional fisheries management organizations like the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.
• Through our role at the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization table, Canada negotiated strong conservation measures to limit catches in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area outside the Canadian 200-mile limit. I can assure you that the limited Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization allocation for Northern cod is being stringently monitored.