Capelin, cod declines on Canada’s east coast ‘deeply disturbing’
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A national conservation organization said Friday it is deeply concerned about a 70 per cent decline in capelin abundance over the last two years in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The World Wildlife Fund Canada said in a statement that while environmental factors are driving the decline, it cannot rule out fishing as another factor.
“A 70 per cent drop in capelin stock is deeply disturbing,” the statement said. “The fact remains that these little fish, on which so many other species depend, are vulnerable to overfishing which can exacerbate the rate of decline, especially at critical population levels.”
The department said due to limitations with its surveys, the Fisheries Department cannot accurately estimate the total number of capelin in the water, and therefore cannot conclude with certainty the impact fishing has had on the stock.
The organization is urging the department to consult Indigenous and other local groups during the assessment process, and to adopt a precautionary approach in managing the capelin fishery.
It said capelin play an important role in the culture, history and economy of Newfoundland and Labrador, and are the primary prey in the province’s marine ecosystem.
The fish convert energy in zooplankton into a healthy and accessible food source for a variety of species, including Atlantic cod, seabirds and even whales.
WWF Canada said their abundance is essential to the continued recovery of cod.
Fisheries officials said northern cod stocks declined steeply off Newfoundland and Labrador and warn that the population could continue to decline.
A report said the stock dropped 30 per cent in the fishing area known as 2J3KL that stretches from southern Labrador to below the Avalon peninsula on mainland Newfoundland.
Fisheries biologist Karen Dwyer said there was a large increase in the species’ natural mortality, or deaths due to factors other than fishing, such as decreases in their food sources and warming water temperatures.
Still, she says the harvest rate continued to climb in the last several years, suggesting there needs to be a renewed call for low catch rates.
But Dwyer, who presented the findings at a briefing in St. John’s, N.L., says the stock remains in the critical zone after it started to show signs of recovery in 2012.
The commercial fishery was placed under a moratorium in 1992, a move that threw thousands of people out of work and sparked angry protests.