Biological and economic aspects of the Newfoundland cod fisheries

• Main Author: Dunne, Eric Benedict
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1970
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/7300/; https://research.library.mun.ca/7300/1/Dunne_EricBenedict.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/7300/3/Dunne_EricBenedict.pdf

This study examines economic and biological aspects of the Newfoundland cod fisheries in an attempt to explain why this industry, particularly the inshore sector, is continually in economic straits. -- The study can be divided into two segments, the first setting the groundwork for the analysis contained in the second part. To provide a groundwork, the first segment deals with the biological aspects of the cod stocks, the economic theory of a sea fishery, and the record of government attention to the Newfoundland cod fisheries. -- Several distinct stocks of cod are found to exist around the Newfoundland coast, however, all of these do not approach close enough to shore to be available to the inshore cod fishermen. Even more significant is the fact that the stocks which do migrate within range of inshore gears are also fished on the offshore grounds before and after their inshore movement. This multiple fishing of these stocks is deemed to create an externality for the inshore cod fishery. Certain other behaviourial characteristics of the cod have been said to have special implications for the inshore fishery. These include the tendency for cod to remain in cold water, avoid excessive light, and become sluggish if well fed. -- The economic theory of a sea fishery, as developed by several authors, is reviewed to provide guidelines for later analysis. The significant point of this theory is that sea fisheries tend to become overexploited because no one operator can appropriate the rent from the resource. Consequently, fishing effort is pushed beyond the economic optimum point and returns to factors engaged are depressed. This course of action may push the fishery even beyond the point of the biological optimum which has been the usual goal of fishery administrators in the past. This tendency will be the focal point of the inshore fishery analysis. -- The review of government attention to the fishery centres on two aspects: regulation and assistance. Most of the regulations are found to affect the inshore cod trap ...