Sarah Smellie Fishing boats are shown in St.John's, Friday, Apr.16, 2021. Since the 1992 moratorium on fishing cod in Newfoundland and Labrador, harvesters have focused on crab, shrimp and other shellfish, as evidenced by the many crab boats seen at St. John's wharfs each spring. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie April 18, 2021 - 4:00 AM ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The latest assessment of Atlantic cod stocks, whose collapse crushed the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador, has scientists worried the species will never recover without drastic change within the federal Fisheries Department. The federal governmentreport shows the stock continues tocling for life in what officials classify as the critical zone, meaning "serious harm is occurring to the stock." Population growth has been stagnant since 2017, the document says.