Notices to Fish Harvesters

Approved March 16, 2023

1. Application

This Conservation-based Harvesting Plan (CHP) applies to North Shore commercial clam fish harvesters for season 2023.

2. Fishing Area

Sub-Area 1A

From the Pointe au Pic wharf to the east side of the mouth of the Betsiamites river, including the 5 following banks reserved exclusively for commercial harvesting:

• N-04.1.1.1 (Baie des Chevaux)
• N-04.1.2.1 (Banc Marie-Marthe [Île Laval])
• N-04.1.2.2 (Baie Didier Sud)
• N-04.1.3 (Baie des Plongeurs)
• N-04.2.2 (Cran à Gagnon)

Excluding the following bank:

• N-01.1.4 (Baie des Petites-Bergeronnes) Restricted to recreational harvesting

Sub-Area 1B

From the east side of the Rivière-aux-Rosiers to Pointe-des-Monts.

Sub-Area 1C

From the east side of the Betsiamites river mouth to the east side of the Rivière-aux-Rosiers.

Zone 2

From Pointe-des-Monts to rivière de l’Étang

Zone 3

From rivière de l’Étang to Blanc-Sablon.

The fishing areas coordinates are listed in the Conditions of licence and are also indicated on the fishing areas maps, which are available at the following address:

Commercial Fisheries

 

IMPORTANT:

It is important to recall the difference between a fishing area and a shellfish zone. The fishing areas that are indicated in the conditions of licences specify the limits of the fishing territory. The shellfish zones refer to some parts of the coastal territory used by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in the context of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP).

The CSSP has developed an interactive mapping tool to visualize areas open or closed to bivalve shellfish harvesting in Canada. This tool is called SHELLI: (S)hellfish, (H)arvest, (E)xtents, (L)atitude, (L)ongitude, (I)nformation. It is available online at the following address: Check the map and Prohibition Orders before harvesting!

Before going fishing in a shellfish area, DFO reminds fishers that it is their responsibility to check the condition of the shellfish areas in order to avoid fishing in areas that are closed for contamination. Information on these shellfish areas is available online at the above address. A fisher could therefore hold a valid fishing licence from DFO for a fishing area, but would not be authorized to fish if the corresponding shellfish sector(s) were not open for shellfish harvesting.

3. Fishing Season

The precise opening date will be determined with the arrival of air temperatures above 0ºC. The end of the fishing season is scheduled for October 31.  A Notice to Fish Harvesters will be shared with the industry to announce the opening of the fishery.

The fishing period established in this section represents the maximum duration of the fishery, subject among other things to Variation orders and specific closure periods. Thus, opening periods for one or more area(s), sub-area(s) or shellfish sector(s) may vary depending on particular circumstances and considerations of fisheries management, in particular following the achievement of quotas or where the probabilities of exceeding them are high.

4. Number of licences and access

Number of licences available

• Sub-area 1A: 85 licences
• Sub-area 1B: 50 licences
• Sub-area 1C: 1 aboriginal communal licence

Access

Holders of a valid licence only have access to the sub-area or area assigned to them on the commercial fishing licence.

5. Quotas

In order to limit the fishing effort and thus to protect the reproductive potential of each shellfish bed, the Department implements a total allowable commercial catch (TACC) specific to each commercial shellfish harvesting area.

Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) Specific to Each Commercial Shellfish Harvesting Area

Sous-zone	N° secteur	Nom du secteur	TACC (t)
1A	N-01.2.2	Batture à Théophile – Batture Bon-Désir	0,4
1A	N-02.2	Îles Penchées	5
1A	N-03.1.2	Pointe à Émile	1
1A	N-03.2.1	Pointe à Boisvert	0,5
1A	N-03.2.2	Pointe de Mille-Vaches	6
1A	N-04.1.1.1	Baie des Chevaux	20
1A	N-04.1.2.1	Banc Marie-Marthe – Île Laval	12
1A	N-04.1.2.2	Baie Didier Sud	4
1A	N-04.1.3	Baie des Plongeurs	10
1A	N-04.2.1.2	Battures aux Gibiers Est	0,5
1A	N-04.2.2	Cran à Gagnon	5
1A	N-04.4.1	Anse du Colombier	7
1A	N-04.4.2	Anse à Norbert	1
1A	N-04.5.1	Anse Noire	0,5
1A	N-04.5.2	Îlets Jérémie	15
1C	N-05.1.3.1	Réserve Pessamit Sud	50
1B	N-06.1.1	Pointe-aux-Outardes Ouest	30
1B	N-06.1.2	Pointe-aux-Outardes Est	7
1B	N-08.1.3	Rivière Mistassini	3
1B	N-08.3	Baie Saint-Nicolas	1

6. Management Regime

Competitive fishery regime.

7. Minimum Catch Size

51 mm

8. Fishing Gear (manual pick-up)

• Sub-area 1A: manual tool only (excluding northern pike)
• Sub-area 1B: manual tool only (including northern pike)
• Sub-area 1C: manual tool only (excluding northern pike)

9. Combined form / Logbook

Licence holders must acquire their booklet of Combined Forms from a prequalified supplier identified by DFO, whose list is available at the following address:

Prequalified logbook suppliers

The Logbook section must be duly completed on every fishing expedition. The completed forms must be returned to the Sept-Îles office of Fisheries and Oceans each week when fishing operations occurred.

10. Quota Reconciliation

For each shellfish harvesting area, TACC overrun for a given year is deducted on a one-to-one ratio from the TACC of the following year.

Quota reconciliation favors compliance with harvesting limits. It contributes to the achievement of resource conservation objectives and provides industry with an increased responsibility in meeting conservation objectives.

11. Other Management Measures

Shellfish discards

Discarding the catches taken under the Fisheries Act and its Regulations is prohibited.

Participation Clause (sub-areas 1A and 1B)

A 454 kg (1 000 pounds) participation clause could be applied, if the number of licences allowed in any of the sub-areas 1A or 1B reaches or exceeds 75% of the maximal quantity of licences mentioned in this document. Catches must be registered with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) before December 31st of the current year.

Coastal fisherman identification (sub-areas 1A and 1B)

Wearing a fluorescent orange vest of at least 2 500 cm2 is mandatory for the commercial shellfish harvesters in sub-areas 1A and 1B. The licence number must be clearly indicated on the back of the vest. All fishermen must have their licence in their possession at all times.

12. 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

Approved by:

Maryse Lemire

Fisheries Management Regional Director

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Quebec

For any question regarding this CHP

You may call at:

Secteur Côte-Nord: 1-800-463-1729

For additional information

Please visit our website at the following address: Fisheries