Notices to Fish Harvesters

CONSERVATION HARVESTING PLAN - NORTHERN SHRIMP

Date of Notice

NORTHERN SHRIMP – AREAS 8, 9, 10 and 12

2026 SEASON

Approved March 20, 2026

  1. Application

This Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) applies to holders of Shrimp fishing licences in Shrimp Fishing Areas (SFA) 8, 9, 10 and 12, who are members of the Group A, Group B, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia fleets for the 2026 season.

  1. Fishing areas
  • SFA 8: Esquiman
  • SFA 9: Anticosti
  • SFA 10: Sept-Îles
  • SFA 12: Estuary

Fishing areas coordinates are detailed in the licence conditions and on the map of fishing areas available at the following link:https://www.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/en/commercial-fisheries

Starting with the 2026 season, access to shrimp fishing areas for Group B licence holders will be limited to the zone or zones for which they hold a positive revised quota at the time they apply for their Conditions of licence. 

  1. Fishing closures

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

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

3.2   Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area

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: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-50/page-1.html.

  1. Fishing season

The fishing season will start on April 1st, 2026 and will close on December 31, 2026. This fishing season represents the maximum fishing period, subject to, among other things, Variation orders and specific closed seasons. As such, the opening date may vary depending on specific circumstances and fisheries management considerations, including industry requests or the announcement of TACs. The specific dates will be confirmed via Notices to Fish harvesters or Variation Orders, at least 72 hours before the planned opening hour.

Also, it should be reminded that during the period in which fishing is authorized, it is the captain’s responsibility to acquaint the marine safety notices, among others by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Transport Canada, as well as the standards and the best practices in marine safety, and to take all measures to ensure safe fishing.

  1. Management regime and allocations

Individual quota (IQ) and Individual transferable quotas (ITQ) regimes.

5.1 Total allowable catches

2026 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) per Shrimp Fishing Area (SFA):

Estuary (12):                                       995 tons

Sept-Îles (10):                                     917 tons

Anticosti (9):                                       2,009 tons

Esquiman (8):                                  1,498 tons

Total:                                              5,419 tons

5.2 Allocations

Esquiman zone (SFA 8) allocation for Group A fish harvesters (Newfoundland and Labador and Quebec):

975.2 tons are allocated to Newfoundland and Labrador group A shrimp harvester under IQ regime. Quebec group A shrimp harvesters under ITQ regime are granted 110.9 tons while an allocation of 10.9 tons is allocated to Lower North Shore fish harvesters.

Estuary, Sept-Îles, Anticosti and Esquiman zones (SFA 12, 10, 9 and 8) allocations for Group B fish harvesters (Quebec and New Brunswick):

Group B shrimp harvesters and First Nations under ITQ are allocated 4 217.4 tons before the distribution provided for in the Group B sharing calculation, i.e. 995.0 t for the Estuary zone, 895.3 t for the Sept-Îles zone, 1 961.5 t for the Anticosti zone and 365.6 t for the Esquiman zone.

Since 2024, an exceptional approach has been used to calculate the sharing of the group B allocation. This approach consists of modulating fixed quotas in proportion to the variation in TAC in each zone. The other Group B allocation sharing and ITQ calculation methods remain unchanged.

Sept-Îles, Anticosti and Esquiman zones (SFA 10, 9 and 8) allocations for Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia fish harvesters:

A total allocation of 52.3 t per province, i.e. 10,8 t for the Sept-Îles zone, 23.8 t for the Anticosti zone and 17.7 t for the Esquiman zone, is granted to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia fish harvesters.

5.3 ITQ management procedures

Please refer to the Notices to Fish harvesters, the Quebec Regional Guidelines for the management of Individual transferable quota programs and the Administrative guidelines of the Individual transferable quota (ITQ) program for the Group B Gulf shrimp fleet for information on current ITQs management procedures.

For Quebec licence holders, the suspension of shrimp ITQs permanent transfers from inshore fish harvesters (licence less than 19.81 m) to midshore fish harvesters (licence of 19.81 m to 30.48 m) is maintained.

5.4 Quota reconciliation

DFO applies quota reconciliation for the northern shrimp fishery in Areas 8, 9, 10 and 12. Thus, any individual quota overrun incurred by a licence holder in a season will be deducted from his individual quota for the following season on a one-to-one ratio. Fish harvesters are responsible for monitoring their quotas to ensure that catches from their fishing activities fall within their allocations.

  1. Bycatch management

6.1 Release of accidental catches

Groundfish caught accidentally can be returned to the water. However, the following species must be immediately put back to the water and released in the exact capture location and, if the fish is still alive, in a manner that causes it the least harm: Atlantic Halibut less the 85 cm, Northern Wolffish, Spotted Wolffish, and Leatherback Turtle.

6.2 Bycatch Protocol

A protocol for monitoring the bycatch is implemented for the small groundfish (cod, redfish and Greenland halibut).

6.3 Mechanical bycatch separator

The use of mechanical devices designed to separate bycatch from the northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) catch on board vessels is permitted. When a mechanical bycatch separator is used, the following conditions apply:

    • The automatic deduction factor to account for white shrimp and small bycatch is set at 1.5% instead of 2%.
    • Fishing trips with an at-sea observer for licence holders using a mechanical bycatch separator will be included in the regular at-sea observer coverage required in the CHP.
    • Licence holders who intend to use a mechanical bycatch separator must notify the region that issued their licence when applying for their Conditions of licence through the National Online Licensing System. .
  2. Fishing gear

The authorized fishing gear is the trawl. The use of the Nordmore grate is mandatory throughout the shrimp fishing season. The use of double liners over the Nordmore grate is prohibited.

7.1 Requirement to report lost and retrieved gear

The licence holder and fishing vessel operator must report any loss or recovery of fishing gear. Reports regarding the loss or recovery of gear must be submitted to DFO through the online Fishing Gear Reporting System or by completing and submitting the Loss Fishing Gear Form or the Retrieval of previously reported lost fishing gear form, which are available online and attached to the Conditions of licence.

  1. Marine mammal interaction reporting

Licence holders and fishing vessel operators must provide information regarding all interactions with a marine mammal that occur during fishing expeditions in accordance with the Conditions of Licence. To do so, the licence holder and fishing vessel operator must complete the section reserved for that purpose in its ELOG or the marine mammal interaction form available on the Report a marine mammal or sea turtle incident or sighting page and attached to the Conditions of licence, and it must be submitted as per the instructions provided on the form.

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. Declaration and monitoring of fishing activities

9.1 Hail prior to departure

A hail-out is mandatory Quebec and Gulf Region fleets. Fish harvesters of theses regions are required to call one of the following phone number: 1-833-699-2013 (toll free) or 1-506-431-3223 (satellite phone only) to make their new, modified or cancelled hail out.

9.2 At-sea observers

At least 5% of fishing trips are covered by the at-sea observer program, at the industry's expense. A list of designated at-sea observer companies is available at the following link: List of Qualified and Designated Companies.

9.3 Catch and effort data declaration

Licence holders and fishing vessel operator must maintain an accurate record of their fishing activities and catches in their Combined Form/Logbook or in their Electronic Logbook in accordance with their Conditions of licence.

Combined form / General fishing log

Fish harvesters must acquire their Combined Forms/Logbooks from a supplier prequalified by DFO, whose list is available at the following address: Prequalified suppliers.

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

Electronic logbook

The use of an electronic logbook (Elog) is optional in 2026. The client application used must be approved by DFO for the ELOG – Logbook – Shrimp (excluding the offshore fishery). Furthermore, fish harvesters must have obtained and installed their Elog Key in their client application in order to allow data transmission to the DFO.

The Elog must be completed for each fishing expedition and "closed" before arriving at port. A fishing trip begins when a fishing boat leaves port to go fishing and ends when the fish caught is landed. Hence, when a fish harvester returns to port for a reason other than a landing leaves the port again, the fishing trip continues until a landing is made.

To consult the list of client applications approved by the DFO and to obtain your Elog key, visit DFO’s web page at the following address: Qualified electronic logbooks (ELOG) client applications.

To request a modification to data that has been transmitted to DFO, please communicate with the client support service at 1-877-535-7307.

9.4 Dockside monitoring

A hail-in is required before the arrival at port and dockside monitoring is mandatory for 100% of landings. Offloading must take place in one of the designated dockside monitoring ports. The list of designated ports is available at the following link: List of Designated Dockside Monitoring Ports (Quebec region) or in the appendix to the Conditions of licence (other regions).

When using an Electronic Logbook, you must communicate your unique Electronic Logbook Identifier (Elog-UID) to the Dockside Monitoring Company at the time of your hail-in and also provide it to the dockside observer.

9.5 Vessel monitoring system

All vessels must be equipped with an active Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) approved by DFO. Each licence holder/fishing vessel operator 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 on the National Vessel Monitoring System page.

  1. Specific provisions applicable to the fishery

10.1 Buddy-up

Buddy-up agreement is authorized between two or several licence holders from the same group and the same province, provided that all licence holders are on board the vessel used for all fishing operations. To take advantage of a buddy-up (partnership) agreement, licence holders must place their request via the National Online Licencing System before the beginning of the fishing season.

10.2 Temporary vessel registration

The minimum period of one (1) month applicable to temporary boat registration (lease) will not be applied to licence holders from Gulf and Quebec regions in 2026.

  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, the Striped Bass (St. Lawrence River population) and 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) 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 (fleet of less than 19.81 m)

All independent core licence holders, and their approved substitute designated operators, must keep records of all the crew members working aboard the vessel on every fishing trip in accordance with their Conditions of licence. This requirement does not apply to pre-1979 corporation licence holders, to midshore licence holders nor to holders of licences issued under the authority of the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations. For further details, refer to the March 17th, 2021 Notice to Fish Harvesters New inshore regulations or contact the Customer support 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 and fishing vessel operator are 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 Notice to Fish Harvesters of March 29, 2022: New Conditions of licence relating to discharge of garbage.

  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.

Note: in the event of a discrepancy between the French and English versions of the CHP, the French version shall prevail.

Approved by:

Maryse Lemire

Fisheries Management Regional Director

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Quebec

For additional information

Please visit our Fisheries web page (dfo-mpo.gc.ca).