Notices to Fish Harvesters

Gaspé – May 9, 2023

Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Quebec Region informs the Atlantic halibut 4RST Gaspé fixed gear fishermen of the 13.71 m and over fleets (Gaspé Longliners group and Others group) of the management measures of the fishery in 2023-2024.

The initial allocation of Atlantic halibut for the Gaspé fleet as a whole is set at 686.567 t for the 2023-2024 season. According to the permanent sharing agreement, between the fixed gear fleet of 13.71 m and over and of less than 13.71 m, established at 63.5% : 36.5% respectively, the allocation of the fleet of 13.71 m and over corresponds to 435.970 t.

Based on the permanent share of the allocation of the fleet of 13.71 m and over, he part granted to the licence holders from the Gaspé Longliners group corresponds to 86.89% of this allocation, ie 378.815 t, whereas the part allocated to the Others group corresponds to 13.11%, ie 57.155 t.

In accordance with the application of quota reconciliation, both the competitive quotas and the individual transferable quotas will be revised, if required, in the coming weeks.

Hook Size project

Please note that the use of hooks with a legal opening equal to or greater than 12.6 mm and with at least 50% of the hooks used having a legal opening equal to or greater than 15.4 mm under the hook size pilot project is not permitted in 2023-2024. Fish harvesters are permitted to use only hooks with a legal hook opening of 15.4 mm or greater.

Temporary closure for Atlantic Halibut directed fishery

Please note the following change in the management measure regarding the depth limit for the 2023-2024 season. The Atlantic halibut fishery will be authorized as of May 15, 2023 in NAFO Divisions 4R and 4S waters less than 201.2 meters (110 fathoms), for all fixed gear fleets in the Gaspé Peninsula. This closure was initiated because of the high number of cod by-catches. New measures may be required during the season to limit cod by-catches.

As a reminder, licence holders are advised of the continued temporary closure of part of the 4T division, considering the excessive by-catch of cod previously observed. This area will remain closed until further notice, and is bounded by straight lines delineated by the following points:

1. 49°02’00" N   64°10’00" W
2. 48°31’00" N   62°37’00" W
3. 48°23’00" N   63°08’00" W
4. 48°46’00" N   64°10’00" W
5. 49°02’00" N   64°10’00" W

Important reminder about the hail-out system

Please note that as of April 1, 2023, licence holders must now contact the DFO hail-out system by phone at 1-833-699-2021 or 1-506-431-3223 (satellite). Please refer to your licence conditions for more details.

Other Management Measures

The other management measures are grouped in the 2023-2024 Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) for Atlantic halibut 4RST and Greenland halibut 4RST of the Gaspé fixed gear fleet of 13.71m an over – Gaspé Longliners group and Others group approved on May 3, 2023.

Licence conditions

To obtain Conditions of Licence, fishers must access the National Licensing System online. For assistance with the National On-Line Licensing System, please contact Client Support by phone at 1-877-535-7307 or by e-mail at fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

For additional information

Please visit our website at the following address: Quebec Region

Note: In case of discrepancies between the English and the French versions, the latter prev