Notices to Fish Harvesters
Announcement of opening of the Greenland halibut fishery in NAFO divisions 4ST for the Upper and Middle North Shore competitive fixed gear fleet
Sept-Îles– May 27, 2024
Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Quebec Region announces the opening of the Greenland halibut fishery in NAFO divisions 4ST by the Upper and Middle North Shore fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 m under competitive regime.
Following discussions with industry representatives, the Greenland halibut fishery by the fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 m from the Upper and Middle North Shore under competitive fishing regime will be authorized from May 28, 2024 at 4:30 a.m. (EDT). The closing date and time will be determined according to the pace of landings and catch rates, and will be announced at a later date.
The quota allocated to fishers from the Upper and Middle North Shore under competitive regime is 9,8 t. Following the application of the quota reconciliation, this quantity is revised to 9,8 t. Of this allocation, 0,3 t is set aside to cover by-catches in the directed fishery for other groundfish species, while 16 t is allocated to the directed fishery.
Note that carry-forward of the 2023-2024 residual quotas is not authorized.
The management measures for the Greenland halibut 4RST fishery in 2024-2025 were announced in the Notice to Fishers dated May 10, 2024.
Fishery closure area
For the 2024-2025 season, the directed Greenland halibut fishery is prohibited in part of NAFO division 4RS where water depth is less than 229 meters (125 fathoms), for all Quebec region fixed gear fleets under 19.81 m due to high cod bycatch.
The directed Greenland halibut fishery is prohibited in NAFO Subdivision 4Tp and 4Tq due to high levels of small fish.
Other management measures
Other management measures in the Greenland Halibut 2023-2025 Conservation Harvesting Plan remain unchanged, in accordance with the discussions held at the Regional Greenland Halibut Management Committee (RGHMC) in March 2024.
Conditions of licence
To obtain their Conditions of licence, fish harvesters must access the National Online Licensing System. For National Online Licensing System assistance, please contact customer support by phone at 1 877‑535-7307 or by email at fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
For more information
You can obtain additional information concerning the management measures and the fishing areas on our website at Quebec Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada (dfo-mpo.gc.ca).
Guylaine Marcoux
Act. Resource Manager
North Shore Area
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
418-962-6314 / Toll-free 1-800-463-1729