May 11, 2005 OTTAWA -- Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced the total allowable catches (TACs) for cod and other groundfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and sub-division 3Ps, south of Newfoundland and Labrador. "A limited cod fishery of 5,000 tonnes (t) in the northern Gulf (3Pn4RS) and 4,000t in the southern Gulf (4TVn) will be opened for the 2005 fishing season," said Minister Regan. "These TACs are cautious while these stocks continue to recover." As well, the 2005 TAC for the cod fishery in sub-division 3Ps has been set at 15,000t, a roll-over from last year. TAC levels for non-cod Gulf and sub-division 3Ps groundfish stocks also remain unchanged. Last spring, the Minister invited resource users in the northern and southern Gulf to work with DFO on decision rules by which the cod TACs in these areas would be set in future years. "My Department and the Gulf cod fishing industry have worked cooperatively to develop TAC decision rules," said Minister Regan. "The rules developed to date were influential in helping me reach TAC decisions. However, they need refining. I want to ensure these rules are consistent with the long-term rebuilding plans for cod that I will be receiving from the federal-provincial cod action teams this summer." Three federal-provincial cod action teams were formed by DFO and the Atlantic and Quebec governments in 2003 to provide advice on the creation of long-term recovery and rebuilding strategies for Atlantic cod stocks. Long-term rebuilding plans will make significant contributions to the management and recovery of cod stocks and guide decision making in future years. The Government of Canada has not made any decisions yet on whether cod will be listed under SARA. While SARA listing decisions for Gulf cod have not yet been made, these stocks are being carefully managed and have shown some signs of growth. The Minister also announced new management measures for the northern Gulf cod fishery. These new measures will see the implementation of a mobile gear re-entry strategy and regional shares for fixed gear fleets. "Together, both of these measures will provide increased stability and predictability in the future for the fleets involved in the Gulf cod fisheries," said Minister Regan. Information on these management measures can be found in the attached backgrounder. The Minister assured fishers that his Department remains fully engaged in scientifically assessing cod stocks. "We want to help industry to continue to develop its capacity to work with us on these and other single species stock assessments, as we have done on many other research fronts. Stronger involvement by industry means a stronger voice for industry." Decisions on northern cod in divisions 2J3KL will be made at a later date, after considering the scientific information, consultations with industry and review of the work completed to date on the long-term rebuilding plan that is being developed for this stock by the Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Action Team for Cod Recovery. This process is expected to be completed in June and a decision should follow shortly thereafter. This fishery has been closed since 2003. A backgrounder listing TACs for cod and other groundfish stocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and sub-Division 3Ps is attached. New 2005 management measures for northern Gulf cod are described in this backgrounder. A departmental official will be available to take questions from media on this announcement today at 2:30 PM EDT. To join the teleconference call, please dial 1-888-265-0903, the access code is 042987. Backgrounder: Gulf of St. Lawrence and Sub-division 3Ps Groundfish Management Measures for 2005 - 30 - Phil Jenkins Media Relations Fisheries and Oceans Canada Ottawa (613) 990-7537 Sujata Raisinghani Press Secretary Office of the Minister Fisheries and Oceans Canada Ottawa (613) 992-3474
