The Northern Cod Moratorium of 1992 and the Tragedy of the Commons As defined by Garrett Hardin using the example of herdsmen who are all dependent on one open, common pasture, the tragedy of the commons refers to the phenomenon where there is a depletion of a shared resource, caused by individuals acting towards their own self-interests rather than thinking of the long term interests of the group (1968). This phenomenon can also relate to another theory known as the prisoner’s dilemma. First framed by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher, the prisoner’s dilemma is a situation in which two individuals, who have been accused of a crime, are taken in for questioning by the police (Dixit & Nalebuff, 1991). Furthermore, both individuals each have two options, either to accuse the other person or not to cooperate with the police. In most cases, the individuals choose a self-serving option in order to save themselves. However, this theory does not only have to apply to prisoners but can also apply in economics in regards to firms and their competition and how cooperation between companies can often lead to a greater good (Dixit & Nalebuff, 1991). These two theories occur often in day-to-day life and seem to reveal how humans are predisposed to think of themselves first before thinking about the good of others. This paper will examine the extent of these theories related to the overfishing of Northern Cod on the eastern cost of Canada and how these phenomena have affected the physical, population and economic geographies of the area. According to Torsten Berhardt, the Atlantic/maritime region of Canada includes the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (2002). Berhardt goes on to explain that these provinces all include a mix of rocky uninhabitable highlands and much more accessible lowlands, furthermore, due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, this area often experiences a seasonal lag, usually resulting in cooler summers and warmer winters. The waters in the area include fish such as Atlantic tomcod, redfish, herring, and silver hake (Berhardt). The ocean in the area was once rich with Northern Cod which has now been dangerously overfished and a moratorium has been placed in the area since 1992 (Berhardt, 2002). As for the region’s population geography, according to Pierre-Marcel Desjardins, the population for the 4 combined Atlantic Provinces is about 2.3 million inhabitants (2005). Recent trends in the area demonstrate that roughly half (51.97%) of the population lived in urban centers, which is quite low when compared to the national average of 73.29 %, however there has been a slight increase in urbanization in the area in recent years mostly to the cities of Halifax and St. John’s, explains Desjardins. Also, between 1996 and 2001, while Canada experienced a national population growth of 4%, 3 of the 4 Atlantic Provinces all experienced a population decline, this would be mostly likely due to the moratorium on the fishing of Northern Cod in the area causing many of the people working in the fishing industry to emigrate in search for work (Desjardins, 2005). As for immigration in the area, Desjardins explains that the immigration in the Atlantic Provinces is mostly inter-provincial from other Atlantic Provinces; the number of migrants from other countries is quite low (2009). Furthermore, in recent years there has been a “brain drain” occurring in the area, where many professionals are leaving the Atlantic Provinces in search for more work in larger urban hubs in Canada such as Montreal and Toronto (Desjardins, 2005).
In the Atlantic region of Canada, one of the events the most greatly affected the area in many aspects of its society would be the moratorium placed on the fishing of Northern Cod. According to Lawrence Hamilton and Melissa Butler, a moratorium refers to a delay or suspension of an activity or a law (2001). Hamilton and Butler go on to state that the Canadian government placed a moratorium on the fishing of the cod in 1992 when the Northern Cod Biomass had reduced to only 1% of its early level, from 1.6 million tones of Northern Cod caught in 1962 to 72,000 tones of cod caught in 1992 prior to the moratorium (2001). The Northern Cod fishing industry had been the most prominent industry in the area for 500 years and has historically been one of the world’s richest fishing resources (Hamilton & Butler, 2001). In the decades after World War II, technology and effort leaped forward and the Northern Cod came under new pressure from industrialized trawler fleets, furthermore new technologies allowed for more and more fish to be caught than ever before (Hamilton & Butler, 2001). Jenny Higgins states in 2009 that while the signs of the decreased resource were noticed early on, nothing concrete was done to aid the situation, and eventually in 1992 a moratorium was used as the only option to save the resource. Higgins explains that the collapse of the Northern Cod fishery caused a profound change in the ecological, economic and socio-cultural structure of Atlantic Canada, especially in the province of Newfoundland who’s waters were the most heavily fished at the time. After the moratorium was instated nearly 35,000 fishers became unemployed and close to 400 fishing communities along the coast of several Atlantic Provinces, especially Newfoundland, had lost their main source of income (Higgins, 2009). Based on statistics from Newfoundland and Labrador’s Economic Research and Analysis (ERA) division of its department of finance it is clear that this eventually caused a steep employment drop in the region and the unemployment rate reached 34-36% (1994). This was therefore an indicator of the importance of the Northern Cod fishing industry in the region. The data from the ERA also show that in 1992, Newfoundland experienced a standstill in its GDP, which does not reflect the trends seen in all other Canadians provinces, which experienced an increase in their GDP. This would most probably be due to the inflated unemployment rate and population migration in search for other work. Higgins states that while the government does sometime allow fishing of the cod during certain months in the summer, till this day the moratorium still remains as the Northern Cod species has yet to recover from years of overfishing in the region (2009). Higgins does clarify however that the rate of Northern Cod is constantly being monitored in the region but the number of fish hasn’t come close to the level it once was many years ago (2009). While Newfoundland hasn’t fully recovered from the moratorium, it has seemed to be able to diversify its economy with emphasis being placed on other industries such as agriculture and forestry (Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Finance: Economic Research and Analysis, 1994). This is a very evident example of tragedy of the commons. Northern Cod was once a great source of income in the area and was a very valuable resource. However, with many fishing companies thinking only about the bottom line, they did not consider the potential harm the depletion of the resource might cause in many aspects of the society in the area. Also, this event demonstrates how the prisoner’s dilemma was put to use. If fishing companies would have cooperated with one another to develop a clear strategy in order to fish in a matter that would allow for the continuation of the resource rather than its depletion, rather than working individualistically and selfishly, they would perhaps not be in this predicament. This further demonstrates the importance of a shared resource and how crucial it is to consider the good of a communal group surviving off of the same resource rather than thinking of one’s self- interests.

Resources
Bernhardt, T. (2002, January 9). Atlantic Maritime. Canadian Biodiversity. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from: http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/atlanticmaritime.htm
Desjardins, P. (2005). A socio-economic profile of Atlantic Canada characteristics of rural and urban regions, with implications for public policy. Moncton, N.B.: Canadian Institute For Research On Regional Development.
Dixit, A., & Nalebuff, B. (n.d.). Prisoners' Dilemma. The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/PrisonersDilemma.html
Hamilton, L., & Butler, M. (2001). Outport adaptations: Social indicators through Newfoundland's Cod Crisis. Human Ecology Review, 8(2), 7-11. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from: http://www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her82/82hamiltonbutler.pdf
Higgins, J. (2009). Cod Moratorium. Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Retrieved December 1, 2013, from: http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/moratorium.html
Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162(3859), 1243-1248.
Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Finance: Economic Research and Analysis. (1994). Statistical Indicators of Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved from the Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ministry of Finance website: http://www.economics.gov.nl.ca/archives/E1994/Statistical%20Indicators%20of%20Newfoundland%20and%20Labrador.pdf
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