The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is weighing in following concerns raised about northern cod management by provincial fisheries minister Gerry Byrne.

A recent EU news release suggested that Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) was making the management decisions when it came to northern cod, but DFO says there is no debate that Canada manages the stock.

According to the federal department, Canada alone completes the scientific assessment of the stock and sets the annual total allowable catch.

DFO says that because a portion of the stock is in the NAFO regulatory area outside the 200 mile limit, Canada had negotiated strong conservation measures to limit catches by establishing a “limited NAFO fishery…contingent on a Canadian management decision.”

The department says Canada also successfully negotiated strengthened conservation and management measures for northern cod in the NAFO regulatory area, including season dates, a seasonal closure, gear requirements and minimum fish size.

DFO says changes to the allocation of the quota referred to by Byrne only apply to other contracting parties and how the five per cent is allocated among them.