Twenty years after Ottawa shut down Newfoundland’s once-thriving northern cod fishery, a growing number of scientists, fishermen and environmentalists say there are signs the fish are finally coming back.
George Rose, director of the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research at Memorial University in St. John’s, said recent research indicates the cod are living longer and getting bigger, thanks mainly to warmer water temperatures.
“In particular, this year we’re seeing evidence that a lot of the real negative signs in the cod stocks that have been with us for 20 years are turning around,” Rose said in an interview Friday.
“Biologically, ecologically we’re seeing a major shift back to a system that will eventually become dominated by capelin (a staple of the cod diet) and cod. ... I think we are seeing the beginnings of a recovery now.”
