The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) welcomes the announcement by the Atlantic Groundfish Council (AGC) that the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, also called Northern cod, will enter full assessment against the MSC Fisheries Standard. 

This follows the 2026 stock assessment from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) which indicates the stock is in the healthy zone under Canada’s precautionary approach framework and has increased by approximately 20% over the past year. This science will inform the independent MSC assessment process. 

After a 32-year moratorium and sustained efforts to improve stock status and strengthen management, a limited commercial fishery reopened in 2024 with a quota of 18,000 tonnes, increasing to 38,000 tonnes in 2025. These developments were preceded by a multi-year Fishery Improvement Project led by the AGC and the Association of Seafood Producers, with support from Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. 

Entry into full assessment will mark the start of an independent evaluation of the fishery against the MSC Fisheries Standard. The assessment will be conducted by an accredited third-party conformity assessment body and provide a rigorous evaluation of the stock health, ecosystem impacts, and the effectiveness of management systems. The process is science-based, transparent, and includes opportunities for stakeholder input. 

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC, said: 
“The progress made by the Northern cod fishery reflects decades of hard work and collaboration by the fishers, the management agency, and many stakeholders, I congratulate all those involved who have got the fishery to this point. It is a remarkable turnaround and will mean so much to the coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Entering full assessment against the MSC’s Standard for environmentally sustainable fishing will be a milestone and incredibly poignant moment. It was the collapse of this very fishery that led to the creation of the MSC in 1997 and the evolution of a sustainable seafood movement. The fishery will be assessed by a team of independent experts in a very transparent and evidence-based process which encourages active stakeholder engagement and participation.”