ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland – A study of northern cod stocks off Newfoundland and Labrador concludes the fish are dying off at a higher rate than normal and that natural mortality is the main reason why.

The fish are also smaller in size, according to the study done mainly by federal scientists.

And under current conditions, the scientists estimate either negative or 2 percent growth in eight of 12 stocks studied.

Their findings, in an article in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, rank natural mortality ahead of fishing activity as the main reason why the northwest Atlantic cod stocks have not rebounded.