How did Marine Biology play into the end of the Atlantic Cod Moratorium and continuing conservation efforts?

Posted by CSS-Kotetsu@reddit | marinebiology | View on Reddit | 2 comments

Hi all. Just recently spent some time in Newfoundland, and decided to read up on the Decline of Atlantic Cod because I know it hit the community hard.

Learned a couple of things, in particular that the moratorium only ended in 2024, and that apparently the population has not nearly recovered.

So I guess I was just curious of how this process happens from the perspective of the people who contribute for the conservation efforts.

How are the populations monitored? What was the process like moving towards lifting the moratorium? Is it frustrating that it was lifted with the population as diminished as it is, or are a lot of the articles I’ve seen very doom and gloom?

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MichaEvon@reddit

I work on another cod fishery, which has also collapsed. The government’s science and fisheries advisors consistently undermine external experts amongst other issues. Whether the relevant politicians understand what’s going on is unclear.

There is no targeted fishing for cod, but all the evidence says that bycatch in other fisheries is enormously high.

Honestly, it’s incredibly frustrating and it’s very tempting to just give up and work on something more fun. We know what sort of things would probably work (spatial measures, selective gear that works for juvenile cod, protection of nursery areas). And the economic analysis suggests this would have little or even positive economic effects.

noondi34@reddit

Read the book called Cod by Mark Kurlansky. Phenomenal book.