When does the Cod Fishing Season Open in Newfoundland?
Planning to jig cod in Newfoundland this year? Find out the 2025 recreational cod fishing dates and plan your adventure with Whale House Guest House.
The 2025 Newfoundland Recreational Cod Fishing Season is just around the corner, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has released the official schedule. Here are the 2025 cod fishing dates to mark on your calendar:
- Summer Season: Every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from June 28 to September 1, 2025 (June 28–30, July 5–7, July 12–14, July 19–21, July 26–28, August 2–4, August 9–11, August 16–18, August 23–25, August 30–September 1).
- Fall Season: Saturday, September 20 to Sunday, September 28, 2025.
These 39 days cover all NAFO areas around Newfoundland and Labrador (2GH, 2J3KL, 3Ps, 3Pn, 4R), except Eastport, Gilbert Bay, and Laurentian Channel Marine Protected Areas. You can keep five groundfish (including cod) per day, with a boat limit of 15 when three or more people are fishing. No license is required, and fishing is allowed from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Plan your trip now and join us at Whale House Guest House for an unforgettable cod jigging experience!
The 2025 recreational cod fishing season in Newfoundland is on everyone’s mind, and the excitement is building. Locals and visitors gear up to hit the water with jiggers, chasing that fresh cod thrill. There's nothing quite like catching fresh cod in the summer, and fishing in Newfoundland is an experience that shouldn't be missed.
When the recreational cod fishery first returned, many locals were happy to be able to fish period. It was cool to be able to just put a jigger in the water after decades of a moratorium. But now, people are wondering, why are the rules so strict? With international trawlers sweeping the sea clean just offshore, there's a strong argument to open up more dates to cod fishing, or even just having it be an all summer thing.
"Limited dates cause safety issues" stated an offshore search and rescue technician that asked to remain nameless. "When the weather is better tomorrow, but today is the only day of the week you're allowed to fish, people start taking risks, and sometimes people die" he went on to say.
In 2025, Recreational Cod Fishing Advocate Paul Smith have stepped up pressure to see change happen to the recreational cod fishery. In particular, he and the group he belongs to want to see the 2025 Newfoundland Recreational Cod Fishery be open all days of the week.
Overlooking prime cod fishing grounds and close to the best cod fishing tours in Newfoundland, Whale House Guest House, just 30 minutes from St. John’s, puts you in the middle of it all. Expect to see whales, rare seabirds, marine mammals, and big smiles on everyone's face, right here in the middle of the marine ecological reserve. Stay at one of the stargazing luxury hot tub suites at Whale House next to humpback whale feeding grounds and fish for cod in a world-famous location.
2025 Cod Fishing Details
For the 2025 season, no licenses or tags are required for the general public. Retention limits are five groundfish (including cod) per day per person, with a maximum boat limit of 15 groundfish when three or more people are fishing. Retention of Atlantic halibut, spotted and northern wolffish, and sharks is prohibited. All fish caught must be retained in a readily identifiable state (bled, gutted, or split, but not further processed at sea).
Tour Boat Operators: A new voluntary pilot program allows Transport Canada-certified tour boat operators to retain two fish per passenger daily, seven days a week, with a tagging system and mandatory harvest reporting. Contact DFO.ExperimentalLicensing-Experimental.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca to apply.
Disability Designations: Individuals with disabilities can designate someone to catch their daily limit by completing the DFO Disability Form, with applications submitted to NL-TN.Licensing@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
Regulations: Only angling gear or handlines with up to three hooks are allowed, and fishing is permitted from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset for safety. Check dfompo.gc.ca for full details and updates.
Why Cod Jigging is a Newfoundland Must
Jigging is more than a catch—it’s a vibe. You’re out there with friends, maybe spotting whales or puffins, feeling the island’s pulse. There's no rod, just the bare line between your fingers. It's the most connected form of fishing, the same way ancestors before us did it. That first bite of fried cod? That's when you realize the difference between eating fish from the supermarket and eating fish right after it's been caught. Newfoundland’s known for its cod fishery globally.
Newfoundland’s Cod Fishing Magic
Newfoundland’s waters are a hotspot—where the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current mix and the cod thrive. It’s why this island drew fishers for centuries. You're in prime fishing territory near Witless Bay, Mobile, Tors Cove, and Bay Bulls. On a fine day, you can spot dozens of people fishing on all types of watercraft imaginable. We have even spotted folks cod jigging from a paddleboard.
More Than Just Cod
While jigging, it's common to see whales breaching and puffins diving. Everyone is here for the same reason, the capelin and krill. Whale watch and stargaze from a private hot tub back at the Blue Whale or Humpback Whale Suite for the perfect finish to any cod fishing adventure.
Looking for a great cod fish restaurant in the area? The Captain’s Table restaurant near Whale House seals the deal with daily fresh fish all season. This restaurant was also once the winner of the prestigious World's Best Fish and Chips Award.
Getting to the Water
First time jigging? Local tours in Witless Bay, Bay Bulls, Mobile, and Bauline offer whale watching and cod fishing adventures all season long. Jigging Tips
Keep all fish caught—big or small—and stick to limits. The DFO enforces five fish daily maximums per person and fifteen fish per boat to protect stocks. Fish can only be caught during daylight hours. Remember to pack out all your trash, and stay safe on the water. Newfoundland cod fishing is a resource to savor and something everyone can participate in, with no fishing license required.
Your Cod Story?
Jigged here before? Share your spot or tip in the comments—we’re all ears!
Stay at Whale House Guest House during your next Newfoundland cod fishing adventure and experience zero light pollution stargazing hot tub suites overlooking the ocean and marine protected zone. Get tips from our getaway guide to make this catch an experience.
11 comments
Since the moratorium has been lifted for the cod fishery it should apply to all residents of NL to go out and catch a few cod anytime during the summer/fall season, the same as it was before the moratorium was announced back in 1992.
Good question Harold Fudge. What happens when the winds are high and smaller boats cannot fish during a week-end? Stormy, foggy days are the same for individuals attempting to fish for their winter meals. One should not have to take a chance on the lives of those in their boats to catch five fish for one person or up to 15 fish for 3 or more in a boat. The groundfish recreational fishery is meant for fun for the most part. People visiting the island or Labrador should not be stopped from participating in a great NL tradition by a rule that they can only fish on week-ends!
The cod food fishery is a staple for outport coastal communities as it has been since the first settlers came to fish king cod. This resource is owned by the people but it is controlled by the Federal Government. External affairs, who dictate fisheries policies, allocate quotas to foreign countries under NAFO & to Canadian companies who use factory/freezer dragger technologies that are extremely effective at catching & processing groundfish onboard. The food fishery, according to DFO science, takes less than 1% of the biomass yet we, the people, are heavily regulated. Fishers are forced to go out in adverse conditions for a total of 39 days in a typical year while our counterparts in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI & the Quebec north shore can fish from April 1st – Oct 1st with a daily catch limit of 15 groundfish including cod. The irony here is that cod in all these areas is low in biomass. Clearly the discrepency is alarming.
When is this fishery open in 2025 it should be now
treat nls the same as ns etc