A case study of fisheries reduction programs during the Northern Cod Moratorium

Following the announcement of the Northern Cod Moratorium in July 1992, Canadian politicians and government officials predicted a 50% reduction in the capacity of the Atlantic fishery. Programs to encourage fishers to leave the fishery, such as educational upgrading, skills training, retirement and licence buyback, fell far short of the stated political objective of a fishery half its size. A case study of nine selected communities in Bonavista North on the northeast coast of Newfoundland demonstrates this. The adjustment programs provided financial relief, but lacking viable alternatives elsewhere in the province, most fishers remained in the fishery. The eventual failure of policies, especially those that require reduction in the number of fishers, is a direct result of not considering the socio-economic context in which the fishery operates at the community level.