It’s not impossible for cod stocks to return to pre-moratorium levels, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), but a number of factors remain in the way.
On Tuesday, DFO spoke with industry and reporters about a key measure for cod stocks: the limit reference point (LRP).
The LRP is the point where the amount of cod goes from the critical zone to the cautious zone, which would indicate an improvement in cod stocks and the potential return of the cod fishery as previously known.
The current LRP was set in 2010 and measured a biomass of 851,000 tonnes of spawning cod. The number is based on the average amount of spawning biomass during the 1980s. In 2017, the spawning biomass hit 52 per cent of the 851,000 number, but in 2018 it dipped to 37 per cent.
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