Fisheries scientists say the federal minister's powers to discard their work for political reasons have to be limited

CBC Newfoundland Morning

Twelve years ago, a group of scientists studied the way the federal government manages fish stocks. They concluded the powers of the fisheries minister must be limited. That's because past ministers routinely ignored scientific advice in favour of making politically-based decisions instead. Now, more than a decade later, the commercial cod fishery has reopened. Federal fisheries minister Diane Lebouthellier made that announcement even though scientists warn against it. Ian Fleming is a professor of ocean sciences at Memorial University, and he co-wrote that paper twelve years ago. He spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.