Newfoundland and Labrador91裸聊视频檚 Liberal premier has once again penned a letter to the federal government opposing one of its decisions 91裸聊视频� this time about the reopening of the province91裸聊视频檚 commercial northern cod fishery.

In a letter Wednesday to federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, Premier Andrew Furey said foreign offshore vessels have no place in the province91裸聊视频檚 fishery. The federal Fisheries Department91裸聊视频檚 decision to allow these boats to catch cod in the reinstated fishery is 91裸聊视频渁n affront91裸聊视频� to Newfoundland and Labrador91裸聊视频檚 fishers and processors, and the work they91裸聊视频檝e done to help the cod stock grow, Furey wrote.

Newfoundland and Labrador, and its small coastal communities, 91裸聊视频渄eserve to be the sole beneficiary91裸聊视频� of the northern cod fishery, he said.

91裸聊视频淭hese decisions should not have been taken without consultations with stakeholders in Newfoundland and Labrador,91裸聊视频� Furey wrote, adding: 91裸聊视频淭he time has come for the province to have a direct say over our resources.91裸聊视频�

Lebouthillier announced last week that she was ending a 32-year moratorium on the commercial northern cod fishery, calling the decision 91裸聊视频渁 historic milestone for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.91裸聊视频� The moratorium was imposed on July 2, 1992, after cod stocks off the province91裸聊视频檚 east cost collapsed.

The Fisheries Department said last week that Canadian vessels would be allowed to catch 18,000 tonnes in the 2024 season, which represents 95 per cent of the total allowable catch. The rest 91裸聊视频� roughly 950 tonnes 91裸聊视频� will go to foreign vessels according to a previous agreement with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, the department said.

Many have opposed the decision. George Rose, a marine scientist who studied Newfoundland cod for decades, said that by lifting the moratorium, the Fisheries Department is 91裸聊视频渞olling the dice on this important fishery.91裸聊视频� The northern cod stock off the province91裸聊视频檚 east coast hasn91裸聊视频檛 grown significantly since 2015-16, he added.

The union representing inshore fishers and processing plant workers has called on Ottawa to reinstate the moratorium. The 14,000-member Fish, Food and Allied Workers union said Tuesday that Canadian offshore vessels, which it calls 91裸聊视频渄raggers,91裸聊视频� should not be given part of the catch, nor should foreign fleets.

Union president Greg Pretty has said the offshore ships are 91裸聊视频渆nvironmentally destructive91裸聊视频� and do not contribute to the long-term sustainability of the province91裸聊视频檚 coastal communities.

Inshore fishers operate smaller boats 91裸聊视频� typically shorter than 20 metres 91裸聊视频� and they fish closer to shore than the offshore vessels, which are longer than 30 metres, according to the Fisheries Department.

A closely monitored 91裸聊视频渟tewardship91裸聊视频� cod fishery began in 2006. Its catch limit was 13,000 tonnes in 2023, and it was open exclusively to inshore fishers in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In his letter Wednesday, Furey said he has raised his objections with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He also demanded 91裸聊视频渁n immediate discussion on how our respective governments can structure a joint management approach to the provincial fishery.91裸聊视频�

Furey, the only Liberal provincial premier in the country, has previously taken aim at the federal Liberals over carbon pricing.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press