ACFA

Gas prices in St. John’s, Newfoundland, exceeded $2 per litre for the first time in nearly 4 years.

Northern cod fishery thrives in Newfoundland amid tech upgrades and harbour investments

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, March 2026 — The Northern cod (2J3KL) stock continues to show robust health, with preliminary 2025 landings nearing 29,000 metric tons and exports climbing following DFO’s 2025 quota doubling to 38,000 tonnes.

Science confirms the stock holds steady since 2017, ranking as the world’s second-largest cod spawning biomass and the only top global stock still growing. The commercial fishery, reopened in 2024 after a 32-year moratorium, supports harvesters, processors, and coastal economies with high inshore prices and new offshore opportunities.

DFO advances modernization: Electronic logbooks (ELOG) rollout expands in 2026 across more Atlantic fisheries, including additional snow crab and lobster fleets, improving catch reporting accuracy, timeliness, and compliance after initial mandates in 2025.

Small craft harbours receive ongoing upgrades for safety and resilience. Projects include breakwater enhancements (e.g., Port La Tour, Nova Scotia), floating wharf replacements (Meteghan, NS), and slipway reconstructions (Seacow Pond, PEI), bolstering infrastructure against climate impacts and sustaining local fishing operations.

DFO Releases 2026 Atlantic Fishery Decisions: Haddock Cuts, Mackerel Closure, Snow Crab Decline Warning

Ottawa — Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) issued its 2026 commercial fishery decisions for Atlantic Canada, featuring significant quota reductions and continued restrictions to prioritize sustainability.

The Atlantic mackerel commercial fishery remains closed for the 2025-2026 season, with only limited bait and bycatch access permitted.

In several areas, haddock quotas face sharp cuts (e.g., up to 57% reductions in parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick effective April 1).

Snow crab assessments signal an impending decline, with some Newfoundland and Labrador zones downgraded to cautious or critical status; stakeholders warn of potential historic lows by 2028, influencing upcoming total allowable catch (TAC) decisions.
Other measures include set TACs for offshore Jonah crab (LFA 41) and Greenland halibut (NAFO Subarea 0 at 17,664 tonnes for 2026).

Industry groups and harvesters express concern over economic impacts amid ongoing stock pressures.

When a foreign government owns our fish plants, Canadians should be paying attention

Most Canadians assume that when seafood is caught in our waters, processed in our towns, and sold using our reputation, the benefits mostly stay here at home. The truth is that this is no longer always the case.

In parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, a growing share of seafood processing is controlled by Royal Greenland A/S, a massive seafood corporation that is fully owned by the Government of Greenland. This is not a private foreign investor. This is a foreign state owning infrastructure directly tied to Canadian natural resources.

Royal Greenland became a major player in Canada after acquiring Quinlan Brothers and operating under the Quin-Sea Fisheries banner. Today, the company runs multiple processing facilities across Atlantic Canada, handling species that are central to local livelihoods such as snow crab, shrimp, cod, lobster, and more. These plants are often the economic backbone of small coastal communities.

That is exactly why ownership matters.

When a plant is locally owned, decisions about investment, expansion, wages, and long term planning are usually tied to the well being of the surrounding community. When ownership shifts to a foreign government, priorities change. The ultimate responsibility of Royal Greenland is not to Newfoundland workers or Canadian communities. It is to the people and government of Greenland.

That raises serious questions that deserve honest discussion.

Should a foreign government be allowed to control significant parts of the value chain built on Canadian natural resources? Should profits generated from fish harvested in Canadian waters be flowing back to a foreign treasury instead of being reinvested in our own communities? What happens to local independence when small operators must negotiate with a company backed by the financial power of a state?

This is not an attack on workers, and it is not hostility toward Greenlanders. It is about economic sovereignty. Canada debates foreign ownership when it comes to oil, minerals, farmland, and infrastructure. Fisheries should be no different. These resources are tied directly to culture, employment, and the long term survival of coastal regions.

Coastal communities have already seen decision making move farther and farther away, first to corporate headquarters, now to boardrooms overseen by another country’s government. Every step removes more local control.

If we care about the future of Atlantic Canada’s fisheries, we need to start having an honest conversation about ownership, control, and who truly benefits from the wealth coming out of our waters. If the fish are Canadian, the communities are Canadian, and the workers are Canadian, then Canadians are justified in asking why the ultimate owner is not.