The study, conducted in early November by the federal Fisheries Department, estimates the cod population in the area will likely remain in the critical zone until 2023.

The commercial cod fishery, essential to Newfoundland and Labrador's fishing industry, collapsed and was placed under a moratorium in 1992, throwing thousands out of work and sparking protests.

A federal report released Tuesday said northern cod's spawning stock biomass -- fish that can reproduce -- was higher than predicted last year, representing a four-per-cent bump from 2018.

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