Bottom Longline

Overview

The Canada Atlantic cod (2J3KL) longline, trawl, gillnet and hook & line FIP is led by the Atlantic Groundfish Council (AGC) and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), with major retail funding from Marks & Spencer, Young's Seafood, Sysco France and High Liner Foods; and with in-kind support from Sustainable Fisheries Fund and Atlantic Canadian institutions including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Memorial University, Dalhousie University and Ocean Tracking Network.

The FIP was launched in April 2015 with actions well underway on a number of fronts, assisted by a formal MSC Pre-Assessment that scopes out the challenges to be addressed in order to receive MSC certification. A DFO 2J3KL Cod Recovery Working Group was created in 2012 and includes representatives of all Stakeholders; the development of draft harvest control rules (HCR) is well advanced. An Integrated Fishery Management Plan (IFMP) is under development and should be completed in 2017. Much of the habitat and ecosystem information has already been assembled by FIP Participants, in part as evidence for the MSC certification of other directed fisheries in the same area (2J3KLNO). Coral and sponge concentrations have been identified using DFO’s research vessel surveys and formal peer-review processes.

FIP members continue to advocate a ‘go slow’ precautionary approach to setting catch limits for this recovering stock.  Examples of our public position on this issue can be seen in recent media communications, (see ‘Background on Atlantic Groundfish Council Northern Cod Position_Mar 2019’ under the Additional Supporting Documentation link in the Detail Tab).

The Canada Atlantic cod (2J3KL) longline, trawl, gillnet and hook & line FIP is led by the Atlantic Groundfish Council (AGC) and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), with major retail funding from Marks & Spencer, Young's Seafood, Sysco France and High Liner Foods; and with in-kind support from Sustainable Fisheries Fund and Atlantic Canadian institutions including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Memorial University, Dalhousie University and Ocean Tracking Network.

FIP at a Glance

View current status
February 01, 2015
11% 32% 57%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
A Advanced Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Jun 2025
Target End Date
Dec 2025
Additional Impacts:
Roundtable

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Association of Seafood Producers
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Renae Butler
Email 
rbutler@seafoodproducers.org
Phone 
(709) 726-3730
Website Name 
Association of Seafood Producers
Organization Name 
Atlantic Groundfish Council
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Steve Devitt
Email 
sdevitt@atlanticgroundfish.ca
Phone 
(902) 497-4586
Website Name 
Atlantic Groundfish Council
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
3156

Overview

Northern Cod, located off Labrador and the island of Newfoundland (NAFO Divisions 2J3KL), supported commercial fisheries for over 500 years. Excessive fishing combined with ecosystem change led to the collapse of cod. After many years of little to no recovery, the biomass of Northern Cod increased from 10,000 t in 1995 to close to 400,000 t of spawning stock biomass in recent years. Although, the spawning stock biomass is no longer in the critical zone, the building blocks for continued growth and a sustainable fishery must be laid as the stock is rebuilding. 

LAUNCHING THE NORTHERN COD FISHERY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

In April 2015, WWF-Canada embarked on a fishery improvement project (FIP) to bring back Newfoundland and Labrador’s northern cod stock, signing a landmark agreement with the largest private-sector union in the province, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) Union. The agreement between the fishing union and an ENGO was the first major step in launching a five-year initiative to improve the sustainability of the only existing northern cod fishery—a small-scale, stewardship fishery with around 9,600  metric tonnes of annual landings—so that it may enter into the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification process. WWF-Canada and the FFAW also secured support for the FIP from the Seafood Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador, Fogo Island Co-op and the NL- Groundfish Industry Development Council.

The FIP process formally began in November 2015 with a MSC pre-assessment that identified the issues that needed to be addressed to improve the sustainability of the stock. A stakeholder meeting that included participants from all sectors of the industry was held in September 2016 to help develop a FIP action plan to tackle the problems in the fishery. The Action plan was launched publicly in December 2016 that includes the necessary actions to address the issues of concerns in the fishery, responsible parties and timelines. In 2017 we began the implementation of the activities identified in the Action Plan to address the issues and concerns that were identified in the pre-assessment. Our goal is to move the current fishery towards a sustainable viable full scale commercial fishery that will benefit the people and communities that depend on it to thrive.

The gear types included in this FIP are: gillnet, longline, (also known as line-trawl) and hook and line (also known as hand-line).    

FIPプロフィールレポート

Northern Cod, located off Labrador and the island of Newfoundland (NAFO Divisions 2J3KL), supported commercial fisheries for over 500 years. Excessive fishing combined with ecosystem change led to the collapse of cod. After many years of little to no recovery, the biomass of Northern Cod increased from 10,000 t in 1995 to close to 400,000 t of spawning stock biomass in recent years. Although, the spawning stock biomass is no longer in the critical zone, the building blocks for continued growth and a sustainable fishery must be laid as the stock is rebuilding. 

FIP at a Glance

View current status
December 01, 2016
7% 14% 79%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
A Advanced Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
May 2025
Target End Date
Dec 2025
Additional Impacts:
EcosystemRoundtable

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union/UNIFOR
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Erin Carruthers
Email 
ecarruthers@ffaw.ca
Phone 
7095767276
Website Name 
https://ffaw.ca/
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
2626

Overview

Red grouper and black grouper are two of the main target species for the mixed demersal fishery in the Bank of Campeche, located to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico.  This seasonal fishery is of high social importance, given that more than 10 thousand families depend on it for their livelihood. 

Currently, the red grouper stock is below its limit reference point, and there is much to do to improve management strategies to effectively regulate fishing effort and catch levels so that the species may recover.  This project aims at achieving a certifiable status against the MSC standard by collaborating with governmental and private stakeholders to develop and implement a consistent recovery strategy (complete with effective data collection, monitoring and control), and an adequate research plan to close information gaps on the fishery and its interaction with other ecosystem components.

For more information on improvement activities, please visit:  CeDePesca's Mexican Grouper FIP Public report (updated quaterly).

Red grouper and black grouper are two of the main target species for the mixed demersal fishery in the Bank of Campeche, located to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico.  This seasonal fishery is of high social importance, given that more than 10 thousand families depend on it for their livelihood. 

FIP at a Glance

View current status
April 01, 2014
32% 54% 14%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
A Advanced Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Jun 2025
Target End Date
Dec 2026
Additional Impacts:
Roundtable

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
CeDePesca
Organization Type 
NGO
Primary Contact 
Minerva Alonso
Email 
minerva.alonso@cedepesca.net
Phone 
+529992423250
Website Name 
Mexican grouper FIP
Organization Name 
PESMAR
Organization Type 
Industry
Primary Contact 
Rudy Abad
Email 
rudy@pesmar.com.mx
Phone 
+529699353500
Website Name 
http://www.pesmar.com.mx/
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
338

Pages

Subscribe to Bottom Longline