HALIFAX — Scientists are baffled by the disappearance of cod off eastern Nova Scotia despite a 10-year ban on harvesting the once-thriving species.

The Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, in its annual recommendations released Tuesday, said the cod biomass in 4VsW zone "may be in free-fall" and steps must be taken immediately to ensure its survival. "We owe it to the fish to do so," council chairman Fred Woodman said in a letter to federal Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault.

The stock, which a decade ago supported a fishery of 30,000 tonnes a year, has declined to the point that federal scientists now estimate the size of the zone's spawning biomass to be only 2,000 tonnes.

Woodman said cod levels in the zone east of Halifax appear to be "much, much less" than what they were when the fishery was closed in 1993.

"Your immediate attention is required to ensure survival of this stock for future generations," he said in his letter to Thibault.

The council's assessment of 4VsW was the bleakest of the report, which makes annual recommendations about catch limits and conservation to the federal minister.

Groundfish recovery remains weak throughout the Atlantic region with the exception of two bright spots.

Woodman said scientists are encouraged by the growth of cod stocks in zone 3PS off southeastern Newfoundland - "the only good news story for cod in Atlantic Canada" - and haddock in 4X5Y off southwestern Nova Scotia. The council recommends a continued fishery in both zones of 15,000 tonnes and 10,000 tonnes, respectively.

The council won't deal with the issue of northern cod until March.

Woodman said more research is needed to determine why cod continues to be on the decline off Nova Scotia despite the moratorium. But he believes the region's exploding seal population is at least partly to blame.

Sable Island, a major breeding ground for grey seals in the North Atlantic, sits in zone 4VsW.

"It's really, really frustrating and mystifying, but we think that seal predation is the major problem in areas where stocks are not recovering," Woodman said in an interview.

"In areas where they are recovering, like south of Newfoundland, we do not have a major seal problem."

The council also expressed concerns about the accuracy of stock assessments in southwestern Nova Scotia, where it believes dumping and misreporting of catches is a problem.

"Reports of cod being discarded or landed unreported to avoid exceeding the quota have increased," the report said.
"These anecdotal reports have been received from all sectors of the fishing fleet, with some indicating the amount of cod recorded in landings data may be significantly less than is killed in the fishery in some areas."

The council is calling for increased monitoring at sea, designated landing areas, and a phasing in of black-box technology for fishing boats.

Woodman said designated landing areas would prevent boats from unloading at remote wharves during the night.
Black boxes would allow satellite tracking of vessels to make sure fishermen are fishing where they are supposed to be.

"I honestly think we are not good stewards of our resources," Woodman said.