Ottawa is more than doubling the northern cod quota, nearly a year after the federal fisheries minister ignored DFO advice and reopened the commercial cod fishery.

In an interview with CBC News, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said they're increasing the total allowable catch to 38,000 metric tonnes — up from 18,000 last year.

"The stock certainly is in a much healthier place than we could have hoped," she said. "The data is strong, and so the [total allowable catch] that I've settled on really is still within a zone that absolutely allows the stock to continue to grow, but creates — I think — a real economic opportunity for the province."

Thompson was not the minister who made the initial decision to lift the moratorium last year.

That move was made by then-fisheries minister Dianne Lebouthillier, who — according to documents obtained by Radio-Canada — ignored the advice of staff within her department, who had recommended maintaining the longtime moratorium on northern cod based on scientific evidence.

They worried the return of offshore boats in the fishery would "increase the stock's risk of decline."

But political advisors within Lebouthillier's office argued reopening the commercial fishery and hiking quotas would be "politically a victory."

The documents also showed Lebouthillier faced pressure from the FFAW, Indigenous groups, the offshore fleet and the processing sector to increase cod quotas.

In the wake of Lebouthillier's decision, the FFAW criticized the move. Then-president Greg Pretty called it "probably the worst decision" he'd ever seen out of Ottawa, and accused them of bowing to "corporate masters" by giving some of the quota to the offshore fleet.

Then-premier Andrew Furey followed closely with a letter to Lebouthillier in which he called the move an "affront" to Newfoundland and Labrador, criticized access to the fishery by foreign fleets, noted the risk of overfishing, and said the province needs to have a direct say over its own resources.

Scientists have assessed northern cod as being in the cautious zone.

Thompson said this year, like last year, the inshore fleet is getting 80 per cent of the quota overall — just over 30,000 metric tonnes — which she says is what the FFAW wanted.

The offshore fleet will get just under 10 per cent of the total allowable catch and 10 per cent will go to Indigenous groups.

There's also a 2,000 tonne allocation outside of the 38,000, which will go to countries who fish outside of Canada's 200-mile limit.

"It is still Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are part of this fishery," Thompson said. "It's year-round, which again is such an economic boost. But it also is reflective of markets outside of China and the U.S. that we know are challenged by tariffs right now."

Thompson said opportunities this year will include a pilot program permitting tour boat operators to fish seven days a week, with passengers being allowed to keep two groundfish per day.

Ottawa will give operators a limited number of tags to track the amount of fish coming out of the ocean.

The recreational groundfish fishery will continue this summer beginning June 28, with the same rules as in the past.

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