Exactly 32 years after the federal government imposed a moratorium on Newfoundland and Labrador’s commercial cod fishery, harvesters in the province demanded on Tuesday that Ottawa reinstate it. Greg Pretty, president of the 14,000-member union representing inshore fishers, says the northern cod stocks have not recovered enough to be fished again by what he calls “offshore draggers.” “That’s a disaster, that’s an absolute disaster,” Pretty said during a news conference in St. John’s, N.L., adding: “There will be petitions and there will be demonstrations until we get this thing right.” The federal Fisheries Department announced last week that it would end the moratorium and reinstate a commercial cod fishery, calling the decision “a historic milestone for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.” The 2024 season would have a total allowable Canadian catch of…
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