Timeline of the cod population collapse

Indigenous peoples, such as the Mi'kmaq, Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, Montagnais as well as Innu lived on the Canadian Atlantic coast and fished, possibly for cod. 

The cod fishing industry began when Europeans arrived in the 15th century. English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French would fish for cod around the Newfoundland Banks, which never lacked cod. Most cod caught were salted to be preserved and shipped back to Europe. Later on, fishermen started setting up onshore fish processing settlements, these settlements eventually grew into fishing villages. In this way, cod helped Newfoundland be established as a European colony. Cod fishing was done primarily by families and nets, fishing lines, and row or sailboats were used. This relatively environmentally friendly approach stayed until the mid-1800s. 

New gear and equipment needed to be used as larger numbers of people started fishing and cod become harder to find in heavily fished regions (including Conception Bay and Bonavista Bays).  

Some of this new technology was: cod seines (large nets used to capture entire cod schools), trawl lines, cod traps and gillnets (wide fishing nets), larger fishing boats, diesel and steam-powered boats, and dories. More advanced technology in the fishing industry continued to be used, however, this period of time represents a pivotal moment in the cod’s tale, as the beginning of the overexploitation by way of advanced fishing techniques. 

French and English fishermen had long begrudgingly shared the waters of Newfoundland and the wider maritime region. This fragile relationship was disrupted when the English colonies (and Americans) began fishing for lobster. The French contended that this violated their current treaties. The French had established their own smaller lobster fishery and the English argued that they had the right to fish on the Newfoundland coast, but they did not have the right to catch lobster. 

Hostilities ended when the Entente Cordiale was signed, which covered many different areas of French and English diplomatic relations but also abolished France’s claim to Newfoundland’s waters. France was given African territories in exchange for Newfoundland. This gave Newfoundland as an English colony full control over their waters. 

The cod fishery in Canada peaked around the end of the 1970s to the 1980s with the introduction of massive trawlers, these giant factory boats would drag large nets along the ocean floor ensnaring cod and many other groundfish. Sonar was used for tracking schools and increasingly speedy ships could quickly go to the cod's locations.

Each year, during the most productive period of the cod fishery, Canadians brought in 266,000 tonnes of codfish per year. Foreign fishermen also used trawlers to fish for cod, often exceeding their limit of 36,000 tonnes. Cod was already beginning to decline, with the large catches owed more to advanced technology rather than an abundance of fish. 

  By 1992 it was clear that Atlantic cod was in a desperate situation. The population of spawning-age fish had decreased by 93% in 30 years, and the species was threatened with extinction. The federal government decided drastic measures were needed to preserve the species. On July 2, 1992 John Crosbie the minster of fisheries and oceans announced a two-year-long ban on commercial cod fishing. 30,000 people lost their jobs and Newfoundland and Labrador's population decreased by 10%. 

Fisherman had foreseen the cod’s population collapse for years, bringing up smaller and smaller catches. The moratorium was still met with anger however, as many believed it was too sudden or didn't approve of the amount of money given to them from the relief program. The ban was later increased and remains in place today. 

Today it is unknown whether the cod’s population will ever recover to what it was before the population collapse. It's been over 30 years since the moratorium. The fish have had times when the population has increased and it looked as though the population was on its way to recovery, in 2011 for example. The population was recovering slower than scientists predicted but was nevertheless recovering. In 2017 and through 2018 the population decreased by 30%, dashing possibilities of lifting the moratorium and subverting the idea that the species was returning to its original abundance.

In 2019 a rebuilding plan was formulated, but critics say it does not take into account the full impact of the population collapse or the capelin fishery, which is taking away a much-needed prey species of the cod.

In the end, it is uncertain weather Norther Atlantic cod will ever recover.