Fisheries management in the Grand Banks, 1980-1992 and the straddling stock issue

This paper examines fisheries management problems on the Grand Banks that were due to divided jurisdiction between Canada's 200 mile Fisheries Zone and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization's (NAFO) area outside this zone, which brought to the fore the predicaments associated with straddling stocks. These were epitomized by the northern cod fishery. Because Canadian scientists overestimated the stocks, northern cod became the basis of a growth industry for Canada and for considerable fishing activity in the NAFO zone by vessels from NAFO member and non-member countries during the 1980s. From 1985 onwards, straddling stocks became a contentious issue between Canada and NAFO with respect to management measures and their enforcement. This issue became particularly acute towards the end of the 1980s when the overestimation of the northern cod stock became apparent, leading to a reduction in the TACs for this species and to Canada's closure of this fishery in 1992. This had severe economic implications for Canada's Atlantic Coast fishing industry but resulted in the international acceptance of a new UN Convention for Straddling Stocks and Highly Migratory Species in 1995.