Order Giving Notice of Decisions not to add Certain Species to the List of Endangered Species — Order Giving Notice of Decisions not to add Certain Species to the List of Endangered Species
Atlantic Cod (Newfoundland and Labrador Population, Laurentian North Population, Maritimes population) The Minister of the Environment has recommended that three populations of Atlantic Cod not be listed. The Atlantic Cod is a medium to large marine fish inhabiting coastal areas and in offshore waters overlying the continental shelf throughout the Northwest and Northeast Atlantic Ocean. On a global scale, the historical distribution of cod probably differs relatively little from that of its present distribution. In Canada, Atlantic Cod are found from Georges Bank and the Bay of Fundy in the south, northward along the Scotian Shelf, throughout the Gulf of St. Lawrence, around the island of Newfoundland, and finally along the eastern shores of Labrador and Baffin Island, Nunavut. There are landlocked populations of Atlantic Cod on Baffin Island. Outside Canadian waters in the Northwest Atlantic, cod can be found on the northeast and southeast tips of Grand Bank and on Flemish Cap. Cod inhabiting the Northeast Newfoundland Shelf, eastern Labrador, and the Barents Sea typically mature between five and seven years of age. In the warmer waters at the southern end of its Canadian range (Georges Bank, off the state of Maine) and in the Bay of Fundy, cod commonly attain maturity at two to three years of age. The colour of cod varies a great deal throughout Canadian waters, having been described as near-black, brown and red, depending on the location of capture. COSEWIC has assessed the Newfoundland and Labrador, Laurentian North and Maritimes populations as endangered, threatened and special concern, respectively. COSEWIC has identified the threats to these three populations of cod as fishing, predation by fish and seals and natural and fishing-induced changes to the ecosystem. The cod stocks that make up these three populations are at various levels of abundance. While it is true that there are fewer cod in stocks in offshore waters where they were once abundant, the situation for the cod species as a whole is highly variable. There are tens of millions of cod, particularly in the near shore waters of Newfoundland and Labrador, and some cod stocks are recovered and increasing, supporting sustainable fisheries. Of the 12 aquatic species currently under consideration for listing under the Species At Risk Act (SARA), these three populations of Atlantic Cod are particularly challenging. The decline of the once-dominant cod fishery and the historical and current significance of Atlantic Cod to the fishery and economy of Atlantic Canada and Quebec have been key considerations in the development of this recommendation. In the early 1990s it became clear that groundfish populations were reduced. Many stocks were closed to fishing in 1992/93. Cod management through the 1990s and into the early 2000s focused on the recovery of the fishery. Moratoria on directed fishing of many cod stocks continue to this day, throughout much of Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Despite the fact that shellfish have dominated the Atlantic fishing industry in terms of value and effort since the collapse of most groundfish species in the 1990s, cod still holds a place of preeminence among those who rely on the fishery for their livelihood, as the species upon which the Atlantic fishery was built. The cod fishery is at the core of the cultural roots of many coastal rural communities in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Consequently, any decision that is made with respect to the management of Atlantic Cod will likely generate intense reactions. This was certainly evidenced in 2003 when the directed cod fisheries in two cod management areas (4RS3Pn and 2J3KL) were closed. These closures resulted in forceful and extended public backlash including from industry and provinces. Significant socio-economic impacts are anticipated if the Newfoundland and Labrador and Laurentian North populations of Atlantic Cod are listed under SARA. The fishing industry in Newfoundland and Labrad