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Two months after deeming northern cod stock to be in the healthy zone, Ottawa is increasing the total allowable catch (TAC) by 55 per cent.
This brings the TAC to 59,000 tonnes, up from 38,000 tonnes in 2025 when cod was still in the cautious zone.
The decision also means fleet allocations will be higher too.
The inshore fleet is being allocated 70 per cent of the TAC, which means it is allowed to catch 41,300 tonnes, up from 30,400 last year. The offshore and mid-shore fleet is being allocated 20 per cent, the TAC increased to 11,806 tonnes, up from 3,800 last year.
Indigenous and special fleets will get 10 per cent, which amounts to 5,895 tonnes. That is up from 3,801 tonnes last year.
In a statement Friday, the Department of Fisheries (DFO) said this increase is the result of “years of science-based decision-making,” and indicates northern cod is “on a path to once again be a key driver of the fishing economy.”
The northern cod fishery was the backbone of the province’s economy for centuries, before stock began to collapse, resulting in Ottawa imposing a moratorium on the fishery in 1992.
The moratorium was lifted in 2024, with a slight TAC increase from 13,000 tonnes to 18,000.
DFO announced the northern cod stock was in the healthy zone in April.
While Friday’s announcement demonstrates a significant upward trend for the fishery, it is still significantly lower than the TAC in the pre-moratorium era — which was 250,000 in the late 1980s.
“To be in a place that as fisheries minister for Canada, I’m able to say the health of the stock is such that we can see increases… That’s a remarkable day,” Joanne Thompson told CBC Radio’s The Broadcast.
Thompson said she is committed to making sure the health of the stock doesn’t fall backwards.
