Tag Archives: the cod moratorium

Governments and bureaucrats can fix the N.L. inshore fishery by consulting directly with harvesters

In 1992, a government of Canada MP loudly responded to demonstrators by saying, “I didn’t take the fish from the God damn water.” In 2023, a government of Newfoundland and Labrador MHA told demonstrators, “There is nothing I can do about fish pricing.” Those two statements are indicative of, past and present, attitudes of politicians toward the N.L. fishery. In 1992, the northern cod fishery was shut down because of lack of cod to harvest and in 2023 the industry is being shut down because of issues around pricing. For a few years now, fish harvesters have been pointing out problems with the price-setting system but those in control ignored their concerns and nothing was done. >click to read< by Harvey Jarvis  11:05

‘Like someone tore the guts out of me’: A look back in the 30 years since Crosbie shut down the cod fishery

Reg Butler, a 50-year-veteran fisherman from Bonavista, remembers those years well. The Butler family has a long history in the cod fishery in the town, a tradition being passed down from one generation to the next. Butler started going out fishing when he was nine. His father was a widow and had to take him out in the boat, along with his older brothers, because there was no one to take care of him. “When the moratorium was announced, everything was up in the air. Cod was our main source of income,” Butler said. “We had cod traps out. Who thought, when we took them in at the time, they’d never go in the water again? It was just like someone knocked the wind out of you. My father had fished up until he was in his 80s. The fish stocks were in decline, but it was still a shock to him, and us all, when it was shut down.” photos, >click to read< 08:26

No cod, no children

Before the cod moratorium in 1992, children could be seen waiting along the wharfs across St. Brendan’s Island, eager to cut out the cod tongues as the boats came in. Gerry Walsh, 57, is one of the last fishermen in St. Brendan’s and remembers the sense of prosperity on the island. “It seemed like everyone was working. I’d say there was 100 per cent employment,” said Walsh. “Those that weren’t fishing were working in the fish plant.” There are neither cod nor children in St. Brendan’s now. “There’s not going to be (another generation). The community is dying,” >click to read<16:58