The numbers are in on this year’s recreational cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador and to nobody’s surprise, it was a popular pastime this year.

Fishery officers reported seeing about 1600 more boats this year than last, perhaps a testament to COVID-19 as some people had more time on their hands.

DFO estimates that 8,200 codfish were landed during the 39-day fishery from the boats that were targeted for inspection. Officers checked over 1,000 boats and 2,300 individuals, recording 37 violations, mostly for people exceeding their limit.

Daryl Walsh, Senior Compliance Officer with DFO, says they did 300 more inspections this year than in 2019.

Patrols are done by land, sea and air. Checks are done at random but sometimes if they receive specific complaints—such as people making multiple trips per day and exceeding their limit—they will target areas and do some covert surveillance.