Notices to Fish Harvesters

This Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) for Greenland halibut applies to all fixed gear groundfish licence holders associated with vessels less than 19.81 meters from Québec Region fishing Greenland Halibut in NAFO Divisions 4RST from May 15, 2023 to May 14, 2025. It is to be noted that this CHP is subject to changes following ministerial decisions or annual review.

Separate harvest plans are required for the directed fishery for all other groundfish species.

2. Fishing Areas

Divisions 4RST of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO).

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

3. Fishing closures

3.1. Protection of fish during spawn and cod concentrations

The protection of fish during the spawning season and in areas of cod concentration is a priority for the Department and the industry in order to promote the rebuilding of cod stocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The following conservation measures will apply:

• Closure of all groundfish fisheries from April 1st to June 23rd in part of the NAFO Division 4R offshore from St. George’s Bay and Port-au-Port Bay, which is recognized as a spawning area;
• Permanent closure of the Greenland Halibut fishery in part of NAFO division 4R where water depth is less than 229 meters (125 fathoms);
• Temporary closure of the Greenland Halibut fishery in part of NAFO division 4S where water depth is less than 229 meters (125 fathoms);
• Permanent closure of the Greenland Halibut fishery in part of NAFO division 4T south of Cap Gaspé.

3.2. Coral and Sponge Conservation Areas in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence

On December 15, 2017, Fisheries and Oceans Canada created eleven coral and sponge conservation areas in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in order to protect areas with high concentrations of sponges and sea pens.

All fishing activities that use bottom-contact gear or gear designed to come into contact with the sea bed, including but not limited to bottom trawls, dredges, gillnets, bottom longlines, bottom seines and traps, are forbidden in the conservation areas.

For more information and maps of the eleven coral and sponge conservation areas, please visit the dedicated DFO website: Coral and Sponge Conservation Measures in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence

3.3. Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area

On March 6, 2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada created, jointly with the Quebec government, the Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area (MPA) in order to the ensure the conservation and protection of this marine ecosystem.

Provisions of the Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area Regulations apply to licence holders. In order to comply with them, please refer to the clauses that apply to your fishing activities: Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area Regulations

4. Fishing seasons

The following seasons will be in effect for the duration of this CHP. They represent the maximum duration of fishing periods. Opening dates may vary according to particular circumstances such as industry requests and the TAC announcement while closing dates may be advanced according to factors such as the reach of quotas or when risks of exceeding them are high. Opening and closing fishing dates of each fleet will be confirmed through usual communication means, particularly Notices to Fish Harvesters or Variation Orders.

• May 15 to October 31
• April 1 to May 14

The opening and closing dates of the fishery for each fleet will be confirmed through the usual means of communication including Notices to Fish Harvesters or Variation Orders.

It should be reminded that it is the responsibility of the captain to acquaint himself with the marine safety notices published by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Transport Canada as well as with the standards and best practices in marine safety and to take all measures necessary to insure a safe fishery during the period where fishing is authorized.

5. Allocations

The allocation for Québec’s fixed gear fleets corresponds to 82% of the allocation of the fixed gear fleet less than 19.81 m of the Gulf of St Lawrence. On the basis of a TAC of 2,400 t, the six fleets from Québec share an overall allocation of 1,657.1 t (including a 157.5 t temporary transfer coming from the less than 19.81 m mobile gear fleet) distributed according to the established sharing formulas:

• Fleet under ITQ regime from Gaspé and Upper and Middle Shore: 1,321.8 t

• Fleet 13.71 m and greater under ITQ regime from the Gaspé (Others group): 31.4 t

• Fleet under ITQ regime from the Lower North Shore: 188.3 t

• Fleet from the Lower North Shore non ITQ Program: 9.9 t

• Fleet less than 13.71 m under competitive regime from the Gaspé: 89.3 t

• Fleet under competitive regime from Upper and Middle North Shore: 16.5 t

An allocation of approximately 3% is deducted from each competitive quota in order to cover Greenland Halibut by-catches during other groundfish species directed fisheries.

Note that fishery statistics for the current seasons will not be accounted for should a change in the competitive fishery management regimes occur.

6. Management Regime

Administrative guidelines of the ITQ programs of Greenland halibut are included in the regional guidelines, which is available on the DFO Quebec Region website at the following address: REGIONAL GUIDELINES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL TRANSFERABLE QUOTA PROGRAMS

7. Fishing Gear

The fishing gears that are authorized are gillnets or longline.

7.1. Gillnets

Number of gillnets with a maximum length of 50 fathoms subject to item 7c:

• Fleets under the ITQ fishing regime from the Gaspé (including the Others group) and Upper and Middle North Shore:
  • a maximum of 120 gillnets is authorized.
  • for fish harvesters with a partnership agreement, a maximum of 120 gillnets is authorized per pair of fish harvesters.
• Fleet under ITQ fishing regime from the Lower North Shore
  • a maximum of 120 gillnets is authorized;
  • for fish harvesters with a partnership agreement, a maximum of 120 gillnets is authorized per pair of fish harvesters.
• Fleet from the Lower North Shore non ITQ Program
  • a maximum of 120 gillnets is authorized.
• Fleet under the competitive fishing regime (Gaspé less than 13.71 m and Upper and Middle North Shore)
  • a maximum of 120 gillnets is authorized;
  • or traditional crab licence holders except Crab Fishing Area 12A licence holders or lobster licence holders from Gaspe Peninsula, a maximum of 60 gillnets or the amount indicated on the licence.

 

• Minimum mesh size of 152 mm and maximum mesh size of 165 mm.
• Mandatory tagging of all gillnets applies in 4RST. All gillnets must be tagged with only one permanent valid tag before being put onboard the vessel for transport to the fishing site.
• Nets must be mounted to give a hanging ratio of 50%.
• Fish harvesters under Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) regime must only use gillnets configured with a maximum height of 20 meshes. This measure will progressively come into effect on the Lower North Shore, and all gillnets renewed from May 2016 must encounter this requirement. 

7.2. Longline

Subject to fishery management considerations, the use of longlines could be authorized only when the Atlantic Halibut fishery is opened and only to fish harvesters who are directing their fishing activities simultaneously for Greenland Halibut and Atlantic Halibut.

Subject to item 7c, the use of longlines is authorized with a maximum of 8,000 circular hooks which must have an opening equal to 12.6 mm except for the Gaspé fish harvesters under a competitive regime holding at least one traditional crab, except area 12A, or lobster licence who are authorized to use a maximum of 4,000 hooks with an opening equal to 12.6 mm.

7.3. Latent fishing effort

In order to limit the risks relative to latent fishing effort associated with groundfish licences under a competitive regime that were not exploited for several years, the number of gillnets authorized for the Greenland Halibut fishery will, on a permanent basis, be limited to 10 and the number of hooks to 500. This measure is applicable for groundfish licences that have not already had their gear numbers reduced due to latent fishing effort control and for which no landing of groundfish in directed fishery has been recorded over the last ten years.

8. Management measures to minimize the risks of interactions with the North Atlantic Right Whale

Since 2017, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has put in place additional management measures to protect marine mammal including the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale from entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes. These measures take into account the best available scientific data and can be adapted if necessary to take into account future developments regarding interactions prevention.

The following requirements have been implemented in order to reduce the risk of entanglement of North Atlantic Right Whales:

8.1. Amount of Rope Floating on the Surface of the Water

The following requirements are in place to minimize the length of rope floating on the surface of the water and reduce the risk of North Atlantic Right Whales entanglements:

• A maximum of 6.4 metres (3.5 fathoms) of rope shall be used when attaching secondary buoys to a primary buoy.
• At the exception of the rope attaching secondary buoys, no rope attaching a gillnet to a primary buoy shall remain floating on the surface of the water.

Note: A primary buoy is defined as a buoy or other floating device attached to a fishing gear. A secondary buoy is defined as a buoy or other floating device attached to a primary buoy.

8.2. Gear Marking

Licence holders using fixed gear must mark the rope used to attach a fishing gear to a primary buoy with colours specific to the region, targeted species and fishing area in which they are authorized to fish. This requirement is intended to facilitate the identification of the area where an entanglement has occurred. The following coloured markings are required for each fleet:

Fleet	Twine colours for marking
Groundfish (gillnet)	Green-Brown
Groundfish (longline)	Green-Pink

The gear marking requirement consisting of interlacing different coloured twine sections within existing rope must be implemented as follows:

1. The first colour to identify specific Region – to be interlaced on the same segment of rope as the second colour.
2. The second colour to identify target Species – to be interlaced on the same segment of rope as the first colour.

The above coloured twine markings must be permanently interlaced within the rope. Each coloured twine must be interlaced in the rope on a minimum length of 15 cm. The use of paint or tape is not an admissible alternative to twine.

The minimum requirements regarding the number and position of colour markings are detailed in the Conditions of licence.

For more information

All the information on gear marking measures has been published in Notice to Fish Harvesters, available at the following link: Notice to Fish Harvesters

8.3. Additional Identification of Buoys

In addition to the regulatory requirement to mark buoys with the vessel registration number (VRN), licence holders are required to add a sequential number on each primary buoy in order to be able to individually identify each fishing gear. This additional requirement will help identify and retrieve lost gear and could also help identify the sector where a NARW may have become entangled.

The sequential number shall be solid block Arabic numerals:

• Without ornamentation;
• Written in a smaller or bigger font size than the VRN so as to be capable of differentiating the number from the VRN; and
• In a colour that contrasts with the buoy’s colour.8.4

8.4. Requirement to report lost and retrieved gear 

Lost gear reporting

Lost fishing gear is defined as any active fishing gear previously set by the licence holder and fishing vessel operator which was sought but not found.

The licence holder or fishing vessel operator must report any of their lost fishing gear within 24 hours of returning to port at the end of the fishing trip. Reports of lost gear must be submitted to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) through the FISHING GEAR REPORTING SYSTEM available online at Fishing Gear Reporting System or by completing the LOST FISHING GEAR FORM available online at Reporting requirements for commercial fisheries or in Annex of Conditions of licence, according to instructions on the form.

Retrieved gear reporting

The licence holder or fishing vessel operator must report the retrieval of any of their own previously reported lost gear within 24 hours of returning to port at the end of the fishing trip. Reports of retrieved gear must be submitted to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) through the FISHING GEAR REPORTING SYSTEM available online at Fishing Gear Reporting System or by completing the RETRIEVAL OF PREVIOUSLY REPORTED LOST FISHING GEAR FORM available online at Reporting requirements for commercial fisheries or in Annex of Conditions of licence, according to instructions on the form. Retrieval can only occur during the validity period of the Conditions of licence and only in relation to the specific type of gear authorized to be used by the Conditions of licence.

8.5. What to do if you observe a North Atlantic right whale

First of all, it is important to maintain a minimum distance of 100 meters from the animal and 200 meters if the whale is accompanied by a calve. Details regarding sightings of live and free-swimming right whales may be provided to DFO at: XMARWhalesightings@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or by phone at 1-844-800-8568. If you observe this species, please send us your contact information and information about the sighting (date, time, geographical position, number of individuals, etc.). If possible, you can also send us photos or videos.

If you see a right whale entangled in fishing gear, you should not under any circumstances attempt to release it on your own. The behaviour of an entangled individual is unpredictable and dangerous. You should contact "Marine Mammal Emergencies" at 1-877-722-5346 as soon as possible to share information that will help to organize an appropriate response by experts (time and position of the entangled animal, behaviour of the individual, details on the weather and the state of the sea, etc.).

9. Marine mammal interaction reporting

Licence holders must provide information regarding all interactions with a marine mammal that occur during fishing expeditions including: bycatch, collisions and all sightings of entangled marine mammals. To do this, the Marine Mammal Interaction Form must be completed and submitted by email to DFO.NAT.InteractionsMM-InteractionsMM.NAT.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca within 48 hours after the end of a fishing trip.

A copy of the form is attached to the Conditions of licence and can also be downloaded and submitted online at the following address:  Report a marine mammal or sea turtle incident or sighting

The information provided on this form will be used by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to estimate levels of accidental mortality and injury to marine mammals. This information will allow DFO to better assess the types of threats that may affect Canada's marine mammals and to develop mitigation strategies.

In addition, if you observe a dead or distressed animal, please contact Marine Mammal Emergencies as soon as possible at 1-877-722-5346. If possible, do not hesitate to take photos or videos that will allow DFO to assess the situation and identify the species.

10. Hail Prior To Departure

The licence holder/vessel operator must contact DFO’s hail out system by phone at 1-833-699-2013 or 1-506-431-3223 (satellite) before 19:00 h the day before each fishing trip, except for licence holders/operators of the 13.71 m and over fleet under ITQ regime of the Gaspé who must contact the hail out system at least 12 hours prior departure for each fishing trip.

11. Daily Hail

Fish harvesters of the Gaspé less than 13.71 m fleet under competitive regime carrying out fishing trips longer than 30 hours must make a daily hail to declare daily catches during their fishing trip. These calls are not mandatory when an at-sea observer is on board the boat during the fishing trip.

12. At-sea Observer

Industry funded at-sea observer program for this fleet will apply at a minimum coverage level of 5% of the fishing trips, except for the longliner fleet and the fleet 13.71 m and over under ITQ regime from the Gaspé (Others) for which the minimum coverage is 20% of fishing expeditions.

Before the beginning of a fishing expedition, the licence holder must have entered into an agreement with an at-sea observer company designated by DFO-Quebec Region. The complete list of designated at-sea observer companies is available on MPO website: List of Qualified and Designated Companies

13. Dockside Monitoring

Dockside monitoring program (DMP) at 100% of the landings is mandatory.

Before the beginning of a fishing expedition, the licence holder must have entered into an agreement with a company legally designated by DFO-Quebec Region for hail-ins and dockside monitoring. The complete list of designated companies can be found on DFO website: Monitoring Programs

Offloading must take place in one of the designated ports identified in the document entitled Designated dockside monitoring ports, available on the department’s website at the following address: Designated Dockside Monitoring Ports

14. Combined form / Logbook

The logbook portion of the Combined form must be completed daily.

A Combined Form must be acquired from a Pre-qualified Supplier identified by DFO whose list is available at the following address: Prequalified Suppliers It must be completed according to the instructions specified in the document and submitted to the dockside monitoring company or to DFO within 10 days of landing.

The logbook section of the Combined Form must be completed for each fishing day and before arriving to port.

15. Vessel Monitoring System

The use of a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) approved by DFO is mandatory. Each licence holder must register his DFO-approved VMS unit prior to the beginning of his fishing activities. Data transmission every 30 minutes is required.

The current list of DFO-approved VMS units and the procedure and form to register a VMS unit are available at the following address: National Vessel Monitoring System

16. Incidental Catches

By-catch is defined as the weight of a by-catch species divided by the weight of the directed species, in this case, Greenland Halibut.

The by-catch limits(*1) of groundfish while directing for Greenland Halibut in 4RST are as follows:

• Cod - 10% daily

• White hake - 5% daily

• Shark - the least of 10% daily or 500 kg

• Atlantic halibut - 3% daily

• Other species of groundfish - 10% daily

(*1): The by-catch limits for the Gaspé fixed gear fleet of 13.71 meters and over under ITQ (Longliners and Others groups) are specified in the CHP for this fleet.

If daily by-catch limits are exceeded, the fishery could be closed and legal action could be taken.

For licence holders that will obtain an ITQ allocation of any groundfish species in 2023-2024, by-catch of those species will be deducted from the fish harvester’s ITQ.

17. Small fish protocol

The minimum length of fish relative to the small fish protocol is:

• Cod - 43 cm

• American Plaice - 30 cm

• Witch Flounder - 30 cm

• White hake - 45 cm

• Winter Flounder/Yellowtail - 25 cm

• Atlantic Halibut - 85 cm

• Greenland Halibut \ 44 cm

• Redfish - 22 cm

Areas could be closed for specified fleet sectors when the number of undersized fish reaches or exceeds 15% of the catch of any of the above species.

All catches of Atlantic Halibut less than 85 centimeters must be returned to the water immediately and, when the fish is still alive, in a manner that causes it the least harm.

18. Simultaneous fisheries

Simultaneous Greenland Halibut gillnet fishing and Atlantic Halibut longline fishing may be authorized under certain conditions, licence holders must refer to the Conditions of licence.

However, fish harvesters must hold valid Conditions of Licence for this simultaneous fishery.

19. Soak time

The period of time between the setting and the lifting of a fishing gear must not exceed 72 hours.

20. Catch Monitoring and Test Fishery

Fishery closures due to small fish and excessive by-catch will have a minimum duration of 10 days. The cost of conducting all test fisheries is the responsibility of the industry. If a fishery is closed, it will not re-open unless DFO feels that it can be effectively monitored and controlled. If any particular fishery was closed twice during the year because of excessive by-catch or small fish, the fishery could remain closed for the remainder of the year.

21. Partnership (combining of licences)

Partnerships between two groundfish licence holders for the Greenland Halibut fishery is authorized for fish harvesters under ITQs from the same fleet. Both license holders shall be onboard and are authorized to use a maximum number of 120 gillnets per team. The partnership must be submitted to DFO at least 5 working days prior to the first fishing expedition and, except for exceptional reasons, the partnership is effective for the entire fishing season of the species concerned. In addition, unless there are exceptional reasons, DFO will not deliver replacement authorizations to license holders involved in such agreement. The landings will be accounted against each of the individual quotas following their prorate. The two licence holders will be held jointly responsible for illegal acts committed during fishing activities, if any.

22. Exclusivity of participation

Unless for exceptional circumstances, no vessel leasing will be permitted between the different fishing fleets except between the fleet under ITQ regime of the Gaspé and the Upper and Middle North Shore and the fleet 13.71 m and greater under ITQ regime from the Gaspé (Others) during a same management year.

Furthermore, no rentals or vessel transactions shall be allowed with commercial fishing licence holders residing outside the Québec Region.

23. Conversion Rate

For landings in Quebec, a 1.05 rate will be applied to convert the partially gutted weight into round weight. A 1.10 rate will be applied to convert the gutted weight into round weight for landings in Newfoundland.

24. Quota reconciliation

In accordance with quota reconciliation, any overrun of a quota in one year, on an individual quotas regime or in a competitive fishery, is deducted on a one-to-one basis of the established quota for the season next.

Quota reconciliation will facilitate the management of all fisheries and promote the observance of harvest limits. Quota reconciliation will help achieve the conservation objectives for the resource, ensure that overruns by a fleet/harvester do not affect the others, and provide industry with an increased responsibility in meeting conservation objectives.

Implementing quota reconciliation, the Department authorizes quota transfers in order to allow individuals or fleets to cover quota overruns until a limit date after which the department will compare final fishing data. This date corresponds to the end of the groundfish management year, May 14. Furthermore, during the month following this date, the department will bring necessary adjustments to the quotas of the current year by considering competitive quota and ITQ overruns if the need arises.

In addition, within an individual transferable quota regime, it is the fish harvesters’ responsibility to respect the quantity granted (ITQ) while taking into consideration transfers and landings. The fish harvesters shall take the necessary arrangements to cover any quota overrun from previous fishing trips, if applicable, before departing for another fishing expedition and to have the necessary quota to cover the expected catches.

25. Carry forward of quotas

No carry-forward of 2022-2023 residual quotas will be authorized in 2023-2024.

26. Other Management Measures

The Department monitors the level of dumping and discarding of groundfish at sea. If a fleet sector or an individual is suspected of dumping and discarding groundfish at sea, the industry funded at-sea observer coverage could be increased in addition to other regulatory options, including fishery closures and legal proceedings.

27. Species At Risk Act

Pursuant to the Species at Risk Act, no person shall kill, harm, harass, capture, take, possess, collect, buy, sell or trade an individual or any part or derivate of a wildlife species designated as extirpated, endangered or threatened.

At the time this Conservation Harvesting Plan is promulgated, the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence species susceptible to being captured are the following: the Spotted Wolffish, the Northern Wolffish, the Leatherback Turtle, the Striped Bass (St. Lawrence River population) and exceptionally the White Shark (Atlantic population). New species could be added during the course of the year.

All incidental captures of species at risk must be immediately returned to the water where they were captured and, if the animal is still alive, in the manner that causes it the least harm. All incidental captures of species at risk must be recorded in the « Species at Risk » section of the logbook. Furthermore, all interactions with species at risk, notably the North Atlantic Right Whale, the Blue Whale (Atlantic population), the Beluga Whale (St. Lawrence Estuary population) and the White Shark (Atlantic population), must be recorded in this section of the logbook.

These requirements are additional to any obligation to declare an interaction with a marine mammal using the prescribed form (see section Marine mammal interaction reporting).

28. Crew registery

Since April 1st, 2021, inshore commercial licence holders, and their approved Substitute Operators, must keep records of all the crew members working aboard the vessel on every fishing trip. These records must be maintained by the licence holder for a period of five (5) years. This requirement does not apply to pre-1979 corporation licence and to any licence issued under the authority of the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations. For further details, refer to the March 17th, 2021 Notice to Fish Harvesters at Notices to Fish Harvesters or contact the Licensing Office at 1-877-535-7307 or fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

29. Discharge of waste

In 2022, all commercial fisheries in Canada have a new condition of licence relating to the discharge of garbage from Canadian fishing vessels. The licence holder is prohibited from discarding in Canadian fisheries waters from their vessel any item that may be harmful to fish or fish habitat . Please refer to the following NEW CONDITION OF LICENCE RELATING TO DISCHARGE OF GARBAGE

30. 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:

North Shore office: 1-800-463-1729

Gaspe Peninsula - Lower Saint-Lawrence area: 1-877-898-5559

For additional information

Please visit our website at the following address: Fisheries