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2007 Survey of the Recreational Cod Fishery of Newfoundland and Labrador

Introduction

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador offers almost unlimited opportunities for residents to participate in the recreational cod fishery. There are over 9,600 km of coastline on the more heavily populated main island and outer islands, and almost 7,900 km of coastline on the sparsely populated mainland area of Labrador. More than half the population lives in small villages dotting the coastline. With the exception of a small number of communities (e.g., Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander, Deer Lake, Labrador City, Wabush), the larger villages, towns and cities are also on the coastline of the province.

With such close ocean access, anglers can choose to fish in almost any bay or on any coastal stretch within easy reach of their residences. Since the late 1990s, fishing for cod during openings of the recreational fishery has been the pursuit of tens of thousands of resident anglers in the province.

With the 2007 opening of the fishery came a pledge by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Loyola Hearn, to conduct a post-season survey of catch and effort in the recreational cod fishery. It was considered essential, given the number of participants in the fishery, that an assessment of activity and success in the fishery be undertaken, in addition to normal surveillance of the fishing activity by DFO patrols. This report provides highlights, summary statistics and detailed information tables on all aspects of the survey.

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