Weather Beaten Newfoundland Fishermen!

By the time the Cod Fishery Collapsed in Newfoundland in the Early Nineties.

My Cousins The Corrigans and my Friends The Lewis Brothers from St.Shott’s

were having a tough time making Ends meet.

Well fortunaly that was about to have a Positive Turn Around with focusing on another Species

namely Crab.

Sites such as Direct Science and Newfoundland Heritage have a trove of Information on The Fishery.

For Example did You Know!

Following the 1992 northern cod moratorium, Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishing industry successfully pivoted from a traditional ground fishery to a highly lucrative shellfishery focused on invertebrates, primarily snow crab and northern shrimp.Because predatory cod populations had vanished, these shellfish populations proliferated rapidly. By 2002—just a decade after the collapse—the province’s total seafood catch was worth almost double what it had been in 1990 when cod dominated the market.

Shellfish and Crustaceans (The Primary Replacements)Snow Crab: This became the undisputed economic backbone of the post-moratorium fishery. While snow crab generated just $13 million in 1990, it skyrocketed in value afterward due to high global demand and premium market prices.Northern Shrimp: Shrimp became the second major pillar of the new shellfishery. It saw a massive surge in biomass and harvesting volume, yielding tens of millions of dollars annually for local harvesters.2. Alternative Groundfish and Pelagic While shellfish dominated the profits, fishers also targeted alternative fish types to offset the cod closure:Turbot (Greenland Halibut): Alongside a tightly restricted, minor cod stewardship allowance, turbot emerged as one of the most profitable groundfish species left in the region.Yellowtail Flounder & Redfish: These species became valuable secondary components of the remaining groundfishery.Capelin, Mackerel, and Herring: These smaller pelagic schooling fish became the primary focus of the pelagic sector, though they generally commanded lower profit margins than crab, shrimp, or deep-water groundfish.

The Boys are doing All Right Now and it is so Good To See.