No, the Northern Cod Moratorium Is Not Fully in Place — Commercial Fishing Has Been Allowed for Years
“The moratorium on northern Gulf cod stock remains in place”
The argument in brief
Many people believe the 1992 moratorium on northern Gulf cod is still fully in effect, but that's only partially true. The complete ban was quietly unwound starting in 2006, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has since set annual catch limits running into the thousands of tonnes. The moratorium as most people remember it no longer exists.
Data: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, IFMP
Why it spread
The 1992 moratorium was a gut-punch moment for Newfoundland and Labrador, wiping out around 35,000 jobs overnight and reshaping entire communities. It became a symbol so powerful that it lodged permanently in public memory and media shorthand. When fishing quietly resumed at low levels years later, it didn't generate the same headlines, so the old image of a total ban simply stuck.
The claim that the northern cod moratorium remains in place is partially false. While the original 1992 closure was one of the largest fisheries shutdowns in history, it has not stayed fully intact. A limited stewardship fishery was introduced as early as 2006, and a regulated commercial fishery has operated since then under strict annual catch limits.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has published Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for the northern cod stock — known by its management zone as NAFO Divisions 2J3KL — for many years running. By 2022, DFO set a TAC of nearly 13,000 tonnes, a far cry from a total ban. That figure comes directly from DFO's own Integrated Fisheries Management Plan, which is publicly available.
CBC News has also confirmed that a commercial northern cod fishery was formally reopened in Newfoundland and Labrador, marking the official end of the complete moratorium. NAFO's Scientific Council, which tracks the stock's health, has supported limited fishing as the population has shown gradual signs of recovery.
To be fair to the claim: the situation is not a clean return to normal. DFO's own 2022 stock assessment places northern cod firmly in the 'Critical Zone,' meaning the population is still well below healthy levels and is managed with tight restrictions. The moratorium spirit — extreme caution — lives on in the rules. But a full ban? That ended years ago.
This kind of misinformation is worth watching for because it cuts both ways. Overstating the restrictions can make recovery sound more certain than it is, while understating them can fuel calls to fish more aggressively. The truth — limited, carefully managed fishing on a still-fragile stock — is more complicated than either story.
Sources
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
The 1992 moratorium on northern cod (NAFO Divisions 2J3KL) was partially lifted in 2006 to allow a small stewardship fishery, and commercial fishing has been permitted at low levels since then, meaning the full moratorium is no longer in place.
- Government of Canada - Northern Cod Integrated Fisheries Management Plan
DFO has set Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for northern cod in recent years, including a TAC of 12,999 tonnes for 2022-2023, confirming active commercial fishing rather than a full moratorium.
- CBC News - Northern Cod Fishery
CBC reporting confirms that a commercial northern cod fishery was reopened in Newfoundland and Labrador, ending the complete moratorium that had been in place since 1992.
- NAFO Scientific Council
NAFO scientific assessments have tracked the gradual recovery of the 2J3KL cod stock and have supported limited fishing, indicating the stock is no longer under a complete moratorium.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada - 2022 Stock Assessment
DFO's 2022 stock assessment for northern cod (2J3KL) indicates the stock remains in the Critical Zone but supports a limited commercial harvest, not a full moratorium.