CALL FOR CANCELLATION
The sentinel cod program involves more than 70 fixed test fishery sites, costing taxpayers an estimated $1.1 million per year.
The sentinel cod program is unreliable and far too expensive for the information it provides, according to the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL).
Contracts for the sentinel fisheries have been sole-sourced every year to the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (Ffawunifor) union until this year, FISH-NL stated in a news release.
FISH-NL asked that Public Services and Procurement Canada open the contracts to a competitive request for proposal (RFP) process. The change was made. FISH-NL, however, ultimately decided not to submit a bid.
“FISH-NL consulted with harvesters and experts in the scientific community who feel the sentinel fisheries program as it exists right now is obsolete,” FISH-NL president Ryan Cleary stated in the release.
“We couldn’t submit a bid in good conscience — as it is currently structured it is a waste of taxpayers’ money, it is not reflective of what inshore fish harvesters have observed and witnessed when they are fishing commercially and the uncertainties in the data mean it has little to no impact on the assessment model.”
Sentinel or test fisheries for cod were introduced by the federal government in the mid1990s following the moratorium to keep a first-hand check of the health of stocks.
FISH-NL says it has never been adjusted to account for or to incorporate the effects of commercial activity.
The program involves more than 70 fixed test fishery sites, costing taxpayers an estimated $1.1 million per year.
FISH-NL says it has consulted with fish harvesters and the scientific community on a revamped program whereby participants would contribute to a data-collection program that is more reliable and would cost less money.
The group has offered to meet with the minister or officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to elaborate on its proposal, the release stated.