<P> Inspired by the Grand Banks cod fishery collapse, the Marine Stewardship Council was founded in 1997 to set global standards for sustainable fishing . </P> <P> In November 2006, Fisheries and Oceans Canada released an article suggesting that the unexpectedly slow recovery of the cod stock is due to inadequate food supplies, cooling of the North Atlantic, and a poor genetic stock due to the overfishing of larger cod . During the summer of 2011, a study was announced that showed East Coast cod stocks around Nova Scotia showed promises of recovery, despite earlier thoughts of complete collapse . It was found that initial stages of recovery began around 2005, though more time and studies were needed to study the long - term stability of the stock increase . In addition, in 2010 a study by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization found that stocks in the Grand Banks near Newfoundland and Labrador had recovered by 69% since 2007, though that number only equated to 10% of the original stock . </P> <P> In a letter to Nature in 2011, a team of Canadian scientists reported that cod in the Scotian Shelf ecosystem off Canada are showing signs of recovery . Brian Petrie, a member of the team, said "Cod is about a third of the way to full recovery, and haddock is already back to historical biomass levels". Despite such positive reports, cod landings have continued to decline since 2009 according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada statistics through 2012 . This decline appeared to be continuing through 2013 . </P> <P> In 2015, two reports on cod fishery recovery offered hopeful and cautionary messages . A Canadian scientist reports that in particular areas, cod are increasing in numbers, health, normalising in maturity and behaviour, and offers a promising estimate of increased biomass . However, past assessments of "cod stock" have been greatly overestimated by generalisation beyond areas measured, which was a great part of the incompetent policymaking and mismanagement of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans . A US report suggests that a failure to consider reduced resilience of cod populations due to increased mortality in warming surface water of the Gulf of Maine has led to overfishing despite regulation . Thus, overestimates of stock biomass due to generalisation of local estimates, and ignorance of environmental factors in growth or recovery potential of a cod fishery will lead to mismanagement and further collapse of stocks, through further unsustainable quotas, as in the past . </P>

The collapse of the canadian newfoundland cod fishery