News in Review – September 2012 – Teacher Resource Guide
Cod Moratorium 20 Years Later
SETTING THE STAGE
July 2012 marked the 20th anniversary of a
government-imposed moratorium on Newfoundland’s
northern cod fishery. The action, taken by the federal
Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, put
40,000 people out of work in Newfoundland, and
devastated hundreds of communities that depended on
fishing as their primary industry.
VOCABULARY – Moratorium
A suspension of activity. The moratorium on the
cod fishery meant that no man or woman could
fish for cod off the coast of Newfoundland.
The cod fishery was close to 500 years old. It
had been around as long as anyone could
remember. In fact, it was hundreds of years older
than Confederation itself. But at the time of the
moratorium, the cod population had crashed
after decades of overfishing, mismanagement,
and changing environmental conditions.
The fish were simply gone. Wiped out.
That meant people couldn’t fish anymore.
Fishermen who had done nothing else other than
fish all their lives were out of work. People who
built boats, and ropes, and other equipment
necessary for fishing were out of work. People
who worked in fish processing plants were out
of work. Soon after, people who sold real estate
and cars were out of work. No one had any
money to spend.
And the closing of the cod fishery saw the start
of an outmigration that has seen 75,000 people
leave the island in the last twenty years.
People in Newfoundland were devastated, and
angry. They blamed the Canadian government
for not managing the cod fishery properly. They
blamed other nations for fishing in Canadian
waters. They blamed technology: new fishing
vessels that were outfitted with the equivalent of
huge vacuums that sucked up tonnes of fish off
the ocean floor.And the onset of factory large
and powerful factory freezer trawlers that could
remain at sea for months at a time and were
floating fish plants – workers could process and
freeze hundreds of tonnes of fish onboard.
And although the 20th anniversary of the cod
moratorium marks a sad chapter in
Newfoundland’s history, it is also a time to
reflect on a number of positive changes that have
occurred over the past twenty years. In fact, as
the fishing industry in Newfoundland collapsed,
the oil industry in the West exploded. Many
young Newfoundlanders left the island for jobs
on the oil fields. These jobs, that rotated three
works in the oil fields with three weeks vacation,
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SEPTEMBER 2012 — COD MORATORIUM 20 YEARS LATER
saw new money flood into Newfoundland. Oil
workers were able to buy houses and cars and
drive the economic engine of Newfoundland.
And now, the huge oil industry in
Newfoundland and Labrador itself has turned the
island into a “have” province for the first time.
Young Newfoundlanders and Labradorians don’t
have to migrate to Alberta for jobs in the oil
industry, they can find well paid employment at
home.
VOCABULARY –
“Have” and “Have Not” Provinces
The federal government in Canada makes
equalization payments to less-wealthy
Canadian provinces. These provinces are
called “have not” provinces, while provinces
that have strong economies and do not
need equalization payments are called
“have” provinces.
And now there are signs that the cod stocks off
the coast of Newfoundland are finally starting to
rebound. George Rose, director of the Centre for
Fisheries Ecosystems Research at Memorial
University in St. John’s, said recent research
indicates the cod are living longer and getting
bigger, thanks mainly to warmer water
temperatures.“In particular, this year we’re
seeing evidence that a lot of the real negative
signs in the cod stocks that have been with us for
20 years are turning around. Biologically,
ecologically we’re seeing a major shift back to a
system that will eventually become dominated
by capelin (a staple of the cod diet) and cod . . . I
think we are seeing the beginnings of a recovery
now” (Cod recovery off Newfoundland finally
evident 20 years after moratorium, Canadian
Press, June 30, 2012).
Although the moratorium was only supposed to
last two years, it has been in place for twenty
years, in part because colder than usual ocean
temperatures interfered with fish spawning. But
in recent years, ocean temperatures off the coast
of Labrador were up to 2 degrees (Celsius)
higher than normal.
However, the federal Fisheries Department and
many environmentalists are taking a cautious
approach and reminding people that these are
preliminary findings. Don Power, the head of
ground fish research for the federal government
in St. John’s said that the northern cod stock
remains ninety per cent below levels measured
in the 1980s. And adult cod are much smaller
than they were in 1992, measuring only about
sixty per cent of their previous size.
So while people are encouraged at the signs of a
recovery, it remains to be seen if the fishery will
ever return to the size it was for hundreds of
years. And the recovery will be too late for a
generation of fishermen who lost their
livelihoods, and the communities that were left
devastated.
To Consider
1. Try to imagine the feelings of fishermen and their families when they were told that they could no
longer fish. Record five emotions they may have experienced.
2. We often study turning points in history to better prevent similar events from happening again. What
lessons can be learned from the disappearance of cod stocks and the choice to impose a moratorium?
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SEPTEMBER 2012 — COD MORATORIUM 20 YEARS LATER
VIDEO REVIEW
Did You Know?
July 2,1992 — the day of the cod moratorium — marked the single biggest layoff in Canadian
labour history. As many as 30,000 people were immediately out of work.
Pre-Viewing Activity
Organize yourself into small groups and respond to the following questions and activities. Be prepared to
share your responses with the rest of the class.
1. a) What is the key economic industry in your community? (e.g., farming, tourism, mining, oil)
b) How many people do you think that industry, or those industries, employ? (Or it may be easier to
think about the percentage of adults employed in those industries.)
c) How would your community be affected if that industry were to close? Would there be other
industries that could absorb those workers? Would the workers have transferrable skills that could
be used elsewhere?
2. Do you know anyone who has lost his or her job? What impact did that have on the person and their
family?
3. What are some of the unique challenges that face older workers who lose their jobs?
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SEPTEMBER 2012 — COD MORATORIUM 20 YEARS LATER
Viewing Questions
Note to Teacher
Before you play the video, it would be helpful if you discuss with students the meaning of the terms “emotional
impact,” “financial impact,” “social impact,” and “cultural impact”. These terms are found in Question 7 below.
1. Why was the cod fishing industry in Newfoundland shut down in 1992?
2. a) How long was the moratorium supposed to last?
b) How long has it lasted?
c) Why are these numbers so different?
3. As you watch the video you will hear a number of criticisms about how the government is responsible
for the disappearance of the cod, or how they should have done things differently. As you watch,
record point-form notes about these criticisms.
4. What government position did John Crosbie hold in 1992? Do you think it helped or hurt the
government that he was from a fishing family from Newfoundland?
5. a) How many Newfoundlanders lost their jobs when the Cod fishery was shut down in 1992?
b) What is the equivalent job loss overnight in Ontario?
6. In 1992, how much money did someone who was unemployed receive per month?
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SEPTEMBER 2012 — COD MORATORIUM 20 YEARS LATER
7. Explain the impacts of the cod moratorium:
Emotional impact –
Financial impact –
Social impact –
Cultural impact –
8. Outline the specific series of reactions experienced by Bill Broderick and his family after the cod
fishery was closed.
9. Why did artist Ed Roche decide to paint about the disappearance of the fishing industry in
Newfoundland?
10. What did Paul Tucker develop to recognize the 20th anniversary of the cod moratorium?
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SEPTEMBER 2012 — COD MORATORIUM 20 YEARS LATER
Post-Viewing Activities
1. In this News in Review story you saw that in most outport communities in Newfoundland there were
piles of fishing boats and equipment simply left to rot because there wasn’t any cod to be caught.
If a crisis hit one of the key industries in your community, what would be piled up and left to rot?
What would be symbolic of the end of a key industry in your community?
2. Visit the CBC website to view Paul Tucker’s comic book commemorating the cod moratorium at
CBC.CA/NL. Produce your own creative work to commemorate the 20th anniversary. You will need
to explain the images you chose to include in your piece.
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SEPTEMBER 2012 — COD MORATORIUM 20 YEARS LATER
LEARNING ACTIVITY: Analyzing Consequences
Complex problems are not easily solved. And they have a host of consequences. Some of these
consequences are intended (or intentional), and some are unintended (or unintentional)
Cell Phones
Consider the issue of cell phones. In an effort to
reduce accidents that resulted from people
talking on their cell phones when driving, many
provincial governments imposed cell phone
bans. The intended consequence was that there
would be fewer accidents. However, the
legislation had an unintended consequence — it
increased the frequency of texting while driving.
Previous to the legislation, people might have
answered their cell phone and had a short
conversation while watching the road. This was
definitely not safe, as drivers don’t need any
additional distractions while on the road.
However, once the cell phone ban was in place,
drivers started to secretly text while driving.
This meant they were looking down into their
laps while driving, rather than having their eyes
on the road. This is even more dangerous.
So although the intended consequence of the cell
phone ban was to make the roads safer, the
unintended consequence is that the ban has
likely made the roads less safe because it has
forced people to text while driving.
Cod Fishing Moratorium
The cod fishing moratorium can also be analyzed for its consequences. There are a whole
host of intended as well as unintended consequences that resulted from the imposition of the moratorium.
Read the “Setting the Stage” section of this guide, or watch the video a second time, and complete the
Multiple Consequences diagram that on the following page.
When you have finished completing the diagram, answer the two analysis questions at the bottom of the
worksheet and be prepared to discuss your responses.
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SEPTEMBER 2012 — COD MORATORIUM 20 YEARS LATER
CAUSE and CONSEQUENCE Worksheet: MULTIPLE CONSEQUENCE WEB
Instructions: Record the event you are analyzing in the centre triangle. Then identify and record
all of the consequences generated by the event.
Analysis
Use one colour to shade each box that is an intended (or planned) consequence. With another
colour, shade those boxes that you believe are unintended (or unplanned) consequences.
1. Based on the information you have learned, do you believe that the intentional consequences
had a greater or lesser impact than the unintentional consequences? Why?
2. Which of these do you believe were, or will be, the most long-lasting consequences?
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