Notices to Fish Harvesters

Subject:     Announcement of the opening and management measures for the Atlantic halibut fishery by the Upper and Middle North Shore fleet

Sept-Îles – May 29, 2023

Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Quebec Region announces the opening and Management Measures for the Atlantic halibut fishery in NAFO Divisions 4RST by the Upper and Middle North Shore (UMNS) fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 m under the Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ) regime in 2023-2024.

The initial allocation allowed to the fleet in 2023-2024 prior the application of the quota carryover and reconciliation is 102.06 t.

For the 2023-2023 season, licence holders are offered the three following periods:

• 1st period: May 30,  2023 at 5 a.m. (EDT) to June 26, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT);
• 2nd  period: July 15, 2023 at 5 a.m. (EDT) to August 25, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT);
• 3rd  period: April 17, 2024 at 5 a.m. (EDT) to May 14, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

Each licence holder of the fleet is allowed to participate in the three fishing periods, however, he must ensure that he holds sufficient allocations to cover the catches that are likely to be made during the fishery.

The carry-over of residual Atlantic halibut quotas from the previous year is allowed, up to a maximum of 15% of the basic quotas.

Partnership (combining of licences)

The partnership agreement is permitted between licence holders of UMNS fleets less than 19.81 m with fixed gear. A maximum of two licence holders per partnership agreement is allowed.

Only one partnership agreement per licence holder per year is authorized. All licence holders registered in the agreement must be on board the same vessel. Landings are counted in proportion to the respective individual quota.

Licence holders will be held jointly responsible for illegal acts committed during fishing activities, if any.

Licence holders involved in a partnership agreement may use a maximum number of gears equivalent to the addition of the maximum authorized number of each licence holder involved in the partnership agreement. Please refer to point 6 of this PPAC for the number of gears allowed.

The agreement must be submitted to DFO at least 5 working days before the first fishing trip. Except for exceptional reasons, the partnership is effective for the duration of the fishing season of the species concerned. Furthermore, unless there are exceptional reasons, DFO will not issue any replacement authorization to fishers involved in a partnership agreement.

Conditions of Licence

In order to obtain the Conditions of Licence, licence holders will have to apply for them through the National Licensing System online. For assistance with the National Online Licensing System, please contact Customer Support by phone at 1-877-535-7307 or by e-mail at fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

Conservation harvesting plan 2023-2024

Other management measures are listed in the 2023-2024 Conservation Harvesting Plan for Atlantic halibut Fishery in NAFO Divisions 4RST by the UMNS fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 m under ITQ regime, available on the DFO website at the following address:

Publications to Fish Harvesters - Online Publications Tool (dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

For additional information

Please visit our website at the following address: Quebec Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada (dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

Resource Management

North Shore Area

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

418-962-6314 / Toll-free 1-800-463-1729