Emma Joyner- The Fall of the Cod Fishery

For centuries, Atlantic cod was one of the most abundant fish in the ocean, particularly in the North Atlantic. The fish were a critical part of the economy for many fishing communities that settled along the New England coast and Canada. Cod were caught using traditional fishing methods which generally featured a small crew on a small boat with nets. While admittedly not the most efficient method, the fishing was sustainable and the Cod population was stable. However, with the rise of modern industrial fishing technology, and advances like large ships, sonar, and trawling nets, fisheries were catching more Cod than ever before. Originally, the fisheries averaged ~200,000 tons of fish per year. With the advancements in technology, the fishery averaged ~800,000 tons of fish at the peak. By the 1970s, fisheries admittedly saw signs of a potential decline in Cod population however the economic incentive was too great to ignore. The situation began to worsen in the ‘90s and, despite the pushback from scientists, the Canadian government allowed these fishing quotas to remain high, driven by economic pressures. By 1992, the Cod population had completely crashed and the Canadian government was forced to shut the Cod fishery down and thousands of people were without jobs. However, those 20 short years of completely unsustainable, and economically motivated behavior permanently disrupted the ecological balance of the North Atlantic. Cod are an important predator in the marine food web that feed on smaller fish like herring and capelin. Without cod, the smaller fish populations exploded, cascading the negative effects on the ecosystem and furthering its imbalance. 


This is a cautionary example of what can happen when we abuse the environment for ecological gain. If the fisheries had continued to use their traditional practices, this likely never would have happened because the populations remained stable all that time. This is a topic I am very interested in and passionate about. I definitely agree that sustainable fishing stocks need to be a priority and limits need to be lower. However, I think about the ethical implications of overfishing in developing countries, where fish may be a primary source of the economy. With that said, maybe it makes sense to place more limits on developed nations where reliance on fishing is not as, high.

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