Burn the gillnets? Some say no place for controversial nets in quality-focused cod fishery
As we move ever closer to a revival of the commercial cod fishery, insiders say it's essential the focus be on quality over quantity, and that means there may be no place for the controversial gillnet.
That was one of the messages delivered Monday in St. John's to members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, and no one said it more forcefully than John Efford.
"Take every gillnet in Newfoundland and have a bonfire," Efford, a former provincial and federal politician with deep ties to the fishery, told the committee.
Only premium products acceptable
The committee is studying the northern cod stock, and preparing for a day when the resource is once again healthy enough to sustain a large-scale commercial fishery.
There's different opinions on when that might be, but there appears to be unanimous support for a fishery that delivers premium quality products to the marketplace, therefore yielding the highest possible price for those who take part.
Efford says there's no place for gillnets in such a fishery because quality suffers, and the market will not tolerate it.
Some say between 80 and 90 per cent of the commercial cod fishery is landed by gillnets, fixed gear that entangles cod by the gills as they swim along.
Critics say fish are often left in the water too long, and quality suffers. And that's an opinion shared by Provincial Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Steve Crocker.
"Gillnets are not our preferred way of harvesting," Crocker told reporters.
He said countries like Iceland are slowly eliminating gillnets, and it's paying off.
"Harvesting techniques play a very important role in quality," he said.
Strong signs of recovery
It's been a quarter-century since a moratorium was declared on northern cod and, for the past two decades, shellfish like crab and shrimp have sustained the industry — but those stocks are now in decline.
Cod stocks, however, have shown strong signs of a recovery, and there's now a limited commercial cod fishery.
Crocker and others support the hook and line method of fishing, which they say is a more effective way of maintaining quality.
The province has even announced a seafood transition fund that assists fishermen with the cost of adapting to the hook and line system.
Some in the processing sector also see the value of hook and line fishing, and believe harvesters will welcome the shift once they see the benefits.
Icewater Seafoods in Arnold's Cove, for example, pays a premium price to harvesters who use hook and line.
"You can get good quality cod from gillnets, but will get consistently better quality from hook and line," said Alberto Wareham, president and CEO of Icewater Seafoods.
Excitement building about return of cod
Meanwhile, there's growing anticipation about a return of cod, which is deeply rooted in the history, culture and economy of the province.
"There's a lot of excitement," said Keith Sullivan, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union.
Sullivan said there's very little fishing effort right now, and he believes the stock is healthy enough to sustain larger quotas and tap into the markets.
Those on the processing side want to take a more cautionary approach.
Derek Butler of the Association of Seafood Producers said cod stocks are still in the critical zone, and estimates a commercial fishery is still five to 10 years away.
"I think we need to go slow in terms of giving access back to groundfish," said Butler.
"The risk is we may crop off the recovery."
