Notices to Fish Harvesters

SNOW CRAB – AREA 13 - CHP 2023

Date of Notice

Approved April 24, 2023

  1. Application

This Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) for snow crab applies to the Area 13 snow crab fishing licence holders from Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador Regions.

  1. Fishing Areas

Subject to any Variation Order and based on valid Conditions of licence, the authorized fishing area is the crab Area 13 situated in the northeastern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as stipulated in the Atlantic Fishery Regulations, 1985. 

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

  1. Fishing seasons

For 2023, the fishing season will be 14 weeks in length, with two season options, at the option of the licence holder.

Specific periods will be confirmed by Notice to Fishers or Change Orders. The fishing seasons set out above are in effect for the duration of this CHP. They represent maximum fishing periods, subject to, among other things, specific closures and Variation Orders. As such, openings may vary depending on specific circumstances and fishery management considerations, including industry requests and TAC announcements, while closures may be anticipated, particularly following the attainment of quotas or when the likelihood of exceeding them is high.

Forecasts of air temperatures below 0 ºC for the first week of fishing and / or ice cover may delay the opening. A committee composed of Industry and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) representatives is in place to confirm the dates for the beginning of the fishing activities. The dates of the fishing activities will be confirmed by a Variation Order and a Notice to Fish Harvesters following an agreement by the committee.

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.

No season extensions will be granted except for circumstances beyond the control of the industry or DFO.

  1. Number of licences, access and allocations

Fishing area

Group

Number of licences

Access (%)

 

Selected operating scenario *

Initial allocation 2023 (tons)

13

Total

41

100

Intermediary (+10%)

206,82

13

A (Quebec)

35

87,755

Intermediary (+10%)

181,50

13

B (Newfoundland ans Labrador)

6

12,245

Intermediary (+10%)

25,33

 

*Operating scenario identified during the assessment of snow crab stocks in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (upper, intermediate or lower). The value in parentheses indicates the relative deviation (%) of the scenario from the previous year's landings.

  1. Management Regime

Administrative guidelines for ITQ programs are renewed according to the terms and conditions described in the Notice to Fish Harvesters regarding transitional measures for the 2019 fishing season. The Notice to Fish Harvesters is available on the DFO Quebec Region website at the following address: Administrative guidelines for individual transferable quota (ITQ) programs - all species managed under an ITQ program - extension of transitional measures (2019-01-23) (dfo-mpo.gc.ca). To take advantage of a temporary transfer, licence holders must place their request via the National online licencing system.

Individual quotas (IQ) for the fish harvesters from Newfoundland & Labrador.

  1. Fishing Gear

    1. Minimum catch size

      Licence holders are authorized to use a maximum of 75 standard traps or 150 Japanese traps.

    2. Release mechanism

      All crab traps must be equipped with a biodegradable release mechanism as described in the Conditions of licence.

    3. Tagging

      All traps used for fishing must wear a single permanent valid tag with a unique identification number.

      Licence holders must obtain their tags from suppliers approved by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) whose list is available at the following address: Approved tag suppliers.

      It is prohibited to carry on board a fishing vessel an unlabelled fishing gear. In 2023, the original tags are green and the replacement tags are orange (Quebec region) and green (Newfoundland & Labrador).

      Licence holders will receive replacement tags, corresponding to 10% of the number of traps authorized, upon initial order. Other replacement tags may be available upon request.

    4. Gear soaking time

      It is the harvester’s responsibility to tend to their fishing gear at least every 72 hours.

  1. 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:

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

Since 2018, 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 a secondary buoy to a primary buoy.
  • At all time, no rope attaching a trap to a primary buoy shall remain floating on the surface of the water after the trap has been set.

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.

    1. Gear Marking

From 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

Snow crab area 13

Green-Orange

Snow crab multiple areas

Green-Orange-Yellow

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.
  3. The third colour to mark different fishing areas must be interlaced. The third colour must be interlaced immediately before or after the segment of rope containing the first two colours. The third colour must not be interlaced within the same segment containing the first and second 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.

    1. 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.
    1. 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.

 

If the licence holder or fishing vessel operator is using an Electronic logbook, lost fishing gear must be reported to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) 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) by completing the section reserved for that purpose in its electronic logbook.

 

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.

 

If the licence holder or fishing vessel operator is using an Electronic logbook , the retrieval of any of their own previously reported lost gear must be reported 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) by completing the section reserved for that purpose in its electronic logbook.

    1. 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, behavior of the individual, details on the weather and the state of the sea, etc.).

  1. Marine mammal interaction reporting

In order to comply with the implementation of the US Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA) regulations, 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.

  1. Hail Prior To Departure

Hail prior to departure is mandatory. It must be performed at the latest at 19:00 the night prior the fishing trip.

  1. At-sea Observer

Industry-funded at-sea observer coverage at a minimum of 5% applies to licence holders from Quebec and 2.5% to Newfoundland & Labrador licence holders.

The percentage of coverage must be spread throughout the season, across the entire area, and may be modified to accommodate unexpected conservation needs that may arise during the fishing season.

  1. Dockside Monitoring

The Dockside Monitoring Program (DMP) applies to 100% of the landings. A call for entry is required upon arrival at the dock.

Prior to the commencement of a fishing expedition, licence holders or their operators must have entered into an agreement with a dockside verification company legally designated by DFO, a list of which is available at: Monitoring Programs (dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

Landings must be made at one of the designated dockside monitoring harbors, the list of which is available at the following address: Designated Dockside Monitoring Ports (dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

When using an Electronic Logbook, you must communicate your unique Electronic Logbook Identifier to the Dockside Monitoring Company before hail in and also provide it to the dockside observer.

  1. Catch and effort data declaration

    1. 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: http://www.dfompo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/sdc-cps/nir-nei/log-suppliers-eng.html.

The Logbook section must be duly completed before arrival at port and the completed form must be sent to DFO after each fishing expedition.

    1. Electronic logbook

The use of an electronic logbook (Elog) is optional in 2023. Fish harvesters must use a client application approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the Quebec region for the form ELOG - Logbook – Traps. Furthermore, fish harvesters must have obtained and installed their Elog Key in their client application in order to allow data transmission to the Department.

The Elog must be completed for each fishing expedition and “closed” before arriving at port. A fishing expedition means a voyage that commences at the time a fishing vessel leaves a port to engage in fishing and terminates at the time fish caught during that period are offloaded. Hence, when a fisher goes back to port for a reason other than for offloading fish and leaves port again, the fishing expedition goes on until fish are offloaded.

To consult the list of client applications approved by the Department and to obtain you Elog key, visit Fisheries and Ocean’s web page at the following address: Electronic logbooks (ELOGS)

To request a modification to data that has been transmitted to Fisheries and Oceans, you must communicate with the client support service at 1-877-535-7307.

  1. 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 must be transmitted every 15 minutes for Quebec licence holders and every 60 minutes for Newfoundland and Labrador licence holders.

The current list of DFO-approved VMS units and the procedure and form to register a VMS unit are available at the following address: http://dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/sdc-cps/vessel-monitoring-surveillance-navire/index-fra.html.

  1. Discarding of white crab and adolescent crab

The discarding of soft-shell crab and adolescent crab (small claws) is allowed. These must be returned to the water, where they were captured, and if they are still alive, in a manner that causes them the least harm.

  1. Soft-shell crab monitoring protocol

Closure of a sector or the area will occur upon reaching a rate of 20% of soft-shell crab captures at sea.

  1. Boat

Fish harvesters may use a vessel with a maximum length less than 19.81 m (65 feet).

  1. Partnership (combining of licences)

Temporary licence partnering agreements(Buddy-up) is permitted between licensees in the same region for up to two licences for Newfoundland and Labrador and four licensees for Quebec per agreement.

Licence holders will be held jointly liable for any illegal acts committed during fishing activities.

Licence holders involved in a partnership agreement may use a maximum number of traps that is equivalent to the sum total allowed for two participants but may not exceed 150 standard traps.

Landings are prorated to the revised individual quotas of licensees that are part of a partnership agreement.

Only one partnership agreement per licence holder is authorized for the fishing season. The agreement request must be submitted to DFO at least 5 business days prior to the first fishing expedition.

The partnership agreement is effective for the entire fishing season for the species concerned. In addition, unless there are exceptional reasons, DFO will not issue replacement authorizations to licence holders involved in a partnership agreement.

When the agreement is terminated, the licence holder, who is responsible for the vessel used, must apply online to cancel the agreement before making any further transactions.

A licence holder cannot start fishing and then decide to make a partnership agreement.

If there is a partnership agreement between four licensees, all four must apply their request through the National Online Licencing System (NOLS).When applying online, they must also apply for their licence condition. All licence holders must have their licence associated with a DFO-registered vessel.

Only the licence holder who owns the vessel used for this agreement will receive a form that he must complete and ensure that the other licence holders have signed. He will then send the form online. Once the transaction is approved by DFO, the form with DFO's signature will be received through the online system. This will allow him to start his partnership agreement.

If there are temporary transfers with other licence holders, these transfers must be made and completed before departure from the wharf or after the end of the agreement.

  1. Quota reconciliation

Under quota reconciliation, any overrun of individual quota incurred by a licence holder in one season will be deducted, by a factor of one to one, from the individual quota established for the following season. It is the responsibility of license holders to monitor their quotas to ensure that catches made in the course of their fishing activities respect the quotas allocated to them. Licence holders will be notified of the reconciliation of their individual quota by means of a note of information attached to their Conditions of licence.

  1. 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 and the Striped Bass (St. Lawrence River 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).

  1. Crew registry

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.

  1. Discharge of waste

Since 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 season 2022 (2022-03-29) (dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

  1. 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 area: 1-800-463-1729

For additional information

Please visit our website at the following address: Fisheries.

 

Date modified: