Linking small-scale fishing and community capitals: The case of Atlantic cod

Around the world millions of people rely on marine and freshwater ecosystems to provide food, employment and a way of life. With many global fisheries overfished, and overfishing continuing, the health of our ocean ecosystems and those who depend upon them is at risk. The northern cod fishery in Newfoundland, Canada, provides an example of the role of a fishery in supporting the health and wellbeing of the community, and thereby the importance of ensuring the sustained and even improved health of the fishery. The impacts of the northern cod collapse continue to be felt throughout Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada today. This chapter employs an adapted Community Capitals Framework to explore the contribution of the cod fishery to community wellbeing in small fishing villages of Newfoundland through assessing the deficits left after the moratorium was announced on June 2, 1992. This moratorium remains in place today, nearly three decades later. The contributions of the fishery to natural, cultural, political, social, economic, and human capital, and in turn the contributions of those capitals to community wellbeing is discussed. This case study provides an interesting example where thinking about the fishery as part of a regenerative food system, one where food production and consumption contributes to human health, may have led to different policy choices in support of long-term fisheries’ sustainability. Through understanding the role of the fishery in supporting community wellbeing we can begin to understand the importance of ensuring sustainable fisheries beyond continuing to pull fish from the water. This chapter provides a background on small-scale fisheries in Canada, and a small narrative on Canada's iconic cod collapse. It discusses the community capitals models, and its potential in helping people to understand how, if managed appropriately, Canadian small-scale fisheries can contribute to regenerative food systems in Canada. The chapter explores the connection between the Newfoundland northern cod fishery and regenerative food systems by invoking the community capitals framework. Natural capital refers to the environmental resources within or used by a community. Natural capital includes dimensions such as healthy ecosystems, sustainable natural resource exploitation, and a connection to the environment. Economic capital includes the economic assets that a community has that support the community to flourish and fulfill their full potential. Social