Canada: Capelin off Newfoundland and Labrador lifted from the critical zone, but the stock still faces challenges

It doesn’t mean there are more capelin in the ocean, but the tiny forage fish that plays a crucial role in the food chain has been lifted out of the critical zone. The announcement of the stock’s status in 2J3KL — the management area extending from Labrador southward to St. Mary’s Bay — was made by Hannah Murphy, a research scientist with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), during a technical briefing for members of the media on Wednesday, March 13. The limit reference point, which represents the stock status below which serious harm is occurring to the stock, for 2J3KL capelin has been revised from 640 kilotonnes to 155 kilotonnes. Murphy said the capelin stock has primarily been above this revised limit reference point since 2007. It is projected to remain above the updated reference point in 2024, with a 10-17 per cent probability of being in the critical zone. Murphy said the drastic change is related to the updated limit reference point for northern cod, ...