An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (Atlantic groundfish fisheries)

Bill C-237 amends the Fisheries Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. F-14) to require the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to maintain Atlantic groundfish-fisheries closures longer than the current rebuilding-plan timelines. Cod, haddock, redfish, and yellowtail flounder stocks collapsed in 1992 leading to the federal Cod Moratorium of July 2, 1992 which ended the Newfoundland and Labrador inshore fishery and displaced 30,000 fishers and plant workers. Stocks have not fully recovered in 32 years. The 2024 DFO reopening of the Atlantic Northern Cod fishery to limited commercial harvest drew protests from cod-stock-conservation NGOs. C-237 seeks to give Parliament authority to maintain closures.