Members of the Northern Cod Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) Working Group met on Monday, on the eve of the Brussels Seafood Global exhibition, to advance work related to the northern cod stock complex, located in the Northwest Atlantic in the waters of Canada.
The FIP was announced at the 2015 exhibition in Brussels and is led by industry associations representing seafood processors in eastern Canada, including the Association of Seafood Producers and the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council.
“This is an historic and iconic fishery,” said Alberto Wareham, CEO of Icewater Seafoods. “It’s not only vitally important to the industry, from harvesters to customers, it is vital to all who care about the sustainability of this resource and its recovery.”
As was noted in the announcement last year, recent indicators show significant improvement in this resource, once the largest cod stock in the world.
“We are very excited about this development, and it is clear that the work of this FIP is grounded in science. That’s crucial to the fishery’s prospects in the years ahead,” emphasised Jim Cannon of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).
At its Brussels meeting, the Working Group discussed activities undertaken by the FIP during 2015, and a major scientific research program planned for the next 4-5 years, at which point the commercial fishery could potentially re-open.
“We are on the right path here, and that makes it an exciting time for the industry. OCI is pleased to support this process,” added Blaine Sullivan, COO of Ocean Choice International.
