Notices to Fish Harvesters
Conservation Harvesting Plan season 2021-2022 (2021-06-14)
Conservation Harvesting Plan
ATLANTIC HALIBUT – NAFO 4RST DIVISIONS
FIXED GEAR FLEET OF THE LOWER NORTH SHORE
SEASON 2021–2022
Approved June 14, 2021
1 Application
This Conservation-based Harvesting Plan (CHP) applies to the Quebec Lower North Shore fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 m fishing Atlantic halibut in NAFO divisions 4RST during the period from May 15, 2021, to May 14, 2022. Please note that this CHP is subject to change following Departmental decisions.
Directed fishing for any other groundfish species requires a separate harvesting plan.
2 Fishing areas
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:
https://inter-l01-uat.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/infoceans/en/commercial-fisheries
The authorized fishing areas are indicated below:
·4R
·4S
·4T1
·4T2 ab
·4T3 ab Except for part of the Miscou bank
·4T4
·4T6
·4T9 ab
3 Permanent closure of fishing areas
3.1 Protection of fish during spawn and cod concentrations
The protection of fish during the spawning period and in areas where there are concentrations of juveniles is a priority that the Department and the industry consider very important for cod stock recovery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The following conservation measures apply:
·Closure of all groundfish fisheries from April 1 to June 23 in part of NAFO Division 4R off shore from St. George’s Bay and Port-au-Port Bay, which is a recognized spawning area;
·Permanent closure of groundfish fisheries from January 1 to December 31 in part of subdivision 4T3 (Miscou Bank), which is a recognized cod concentration area;
·Permanent closure of groundfish fisheries from January 1 to December 31 in subdivision 4T5 (Shediac Valley), which is a recognized juvenile area.
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: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/ceccsr-cerceef/egsl-eng.html.
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: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-50/page-1.html.
3.4 Temporary closure for Atlantic Halibut directed fishery
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
4 Fishing season
Licence holders may choose between one of the following 2 options:
Option 1: June 20, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. (EDT) to July 21, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT);
Option 2: August 11, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. (EDT) to September 11, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).
Season duration: In all cases, the duration of the fishing season is 32 days.
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.
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 Quotas
The allocation of Atlantic halibut from divisions 4RST granted to the North Shore fixed gear fleet comes in part from the basic quota granted to the Gulf fleets of less than 19.81 m with fixed gear and in part from the allocation transferred temporarily from the mobile gear fleet to the fixed gear fleet, under the established sharing formulas.
On April 15, 2016, under the coordination of the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Quebec (MAPAQ), representatives of fixed gear groundfish licence holders associations have come to a sharing agreement for the global Atlantic halibut quota granted to Quebec’s three geographic fleets. This agreement was recognized by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It confirms an adjustment to the shares of Quebec’s geographic fleets on the basis of the global quota of 502.18 t granted to these three geographic fleets and their relative shares from the 2015-2016 Quebec allocation.
The first 502.18 t are distributed as follows:
- Quebec North Shore = 92.54 t (18.4277%);
- Gaspésie = 336.16 t (66.9401%);
- Magdalen Islands = 73.48 t (14.6322%).
Any additional allocation granted to Quebec fleets with fixed gear will be shared according to the same percentages.
For the 2021-2022 season, the total quota allocated to the three Quebec geographic fleets corresponds to 820.515 t. The sharing of this quota then corresponds to:
- North Shore = 92.54 t + (318.335 t x 18.4277 % = 58.662 t) = 151.202 t;
- Gaspésie = 336.16 t + (318.335 t x 66.9401 % = 213.094 t) = 549.254 t;
- Magdalen Islands = 73.48 t + (318.335 t x 14.6322 % = 46.579 t) = 120.059 t.
In accordance with the permanent sharing agreement of the North Shore fixed gear fleet under competitive regime, the 2021-2022 initial allocation of the North Shore (151.202 t) is attributed at 54% to the Upper and Middle North Shore (UMNS) fleet, and at 46% to the Lower North Shore (LNS) fleet.
Thus, the allocation granted to the LNS fleet for 2021-2022 is of 69.553 t.
Quota carry-over from the previous season is allowed for the 2021-2022 season. Under this authorization, licence holders who have not caught their entire 2020-2021 season's Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) benefit from a carry-over of a residual amount not exceeding 15% of their 2020-2021 ITQ. In addition, as outlined in the 2020-2021 CHP, ITQ overruns in 2020-2021 are reconciled on a one-to-one ratio, from the 2020-2021 individual quotas.
6 Management regime
Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) Program to manage the 4RST Atlantic Halibut and 3Pn4RS cod allocations of the LNS fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 m. Management measures for the cod fishery are described in a separate CHP.
Administrative guidelines of the ITQ program of the Altantic Halibut Lower North Shore fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 mare included in the regional directive, which is available on the DFO Quebec Region website at the following address for each fishery: https://inter-l01-uat.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/infoceans/en/regional-guidelines-management-individual-transferable-quota-programs
7 Minimum catch size
Possession of Atlantic halibut less than 85 cm is prohibited.
8 Fishing gear
The authorised fishing gear is the longline, all hooks of which must have an opening equal to or greater than 15.4 mm.
The authorized number of hooks varies according to allocation held by the licence holder, including the quantities transferred or received by transfer. Table 1 shows the authorized numbers of hooks according to the allocations held.
Table 1 : Number of hooks authorized depending on the allocation held (including transfers)
|
Allocation held, including transfers (kg) |
Authorized number of hooks |
|
0 to 199 |
100 |
|
200 to 549 |
250 |
|
550 and more |
1 000 |
On any fishing expedition, licence holders must carry documents attesting for the quantities of Atlantic halibut they have transferred or received by transfer.
It is the responsibility of the licence holders to ensure that their fishing gear immersion time never exceeds 72 hours.
It is prohibited to have more fishing gear on board the fishing vessel than the maximum authorized based on the allocation held.
9 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:
9.1 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 secondary buoys to a primary buoy.
- At the exception of the rope attaching secondary buoys, , no rope attaching a longline 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.
9.2 Gear Marking
As of 2020, 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 (longline) |
Green-Pink |
The gear marking requirement consisting of interlacing different coloured twine sections within existing rope must be implemented as follows:
a) The first colour to identify specific Region – to be interlaced on the same segment of rope as the second colour.
b) 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 the January 31th, 2020 Notice to Fish Harvesters, available at the following link for each fishery:
9.3 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.
9.4 Requirement to report lost and retrieved gear
Lost gear reporting
The licence holder/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) by completing the Lost Fishing Gear form available online at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/commercial-commerciale/reporting-declaration-eng.html.
Retrieved gear reporting
The licence holder/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) by completing and submitting the Retrieval of Previously Reported Lost Fishing Gear form available online at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/commercial-commerciale/index-eng.html.
Retrieval can only occur during the validity period of these licence conditions and only in relation to the specific type of gear authorized to be used by these licence conditions.
9.5 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.).
10 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: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/mammals-mammiferes/report-rapport/page01-eng.html
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.
11 Hail prior to departure
Hail out is mandatory for all participants.
Licence holders must call the DFO hail out system at 1-800-561-2467 or 1-902-464-8103 (satellite) by 19 h the day before each fishing expedition.
12 At-sea observer
Industry-funded at-sea observer program applies to a minimum coverage of 10% of fishing expeditions.
Prior to starting a fishing expedition, the licence holder must have come to an agreement with a company designated by the Quebec Region of DFO with regard to at-sea observer coverage.
If an individual or fleet is suspected of discarding groundfish at sea, in addition to other regulatory options including fishery closures and court proceedings, there may be increased at-sea observer coverage.
13 Dockside monitoring
The industry-funded Dockside Monitoring Program (DMP) is mandatory for 100% of landings.
Before the beginning of a fishing expedition, licence holders must have come to an agreement with a dockside monitoring company legally designated by DFO, a list of which is available at the following address:
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/sdc-cps/nir-nei/dockside-contact-quai-eng.html
Landings must be done at a designated port, a list of which is posted on DFO’s website at the following address:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sch-ppb/maps-cartes-eng.html.
14 Combined form / Logbook
Licence holders must acquire their booklet of Combined Forms from a prequalified supplier identified by DFO, a list of which is available at the following address:
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/sdc-cps/nir-nei/log-suppliers-eng.html
The Logbook section must be completed before arrival at port on each fishing day.
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 15 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: http://dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/sdc-cps/vessel-monitoring-surveillance-navire/index-eng.html
16 Incidental catches
Bycatch is defined as the round weight (entire fish) of a bycatch species divided by the round weight (entire fish) of the targeted species, in this case, Atlantic halibut.
While directing for 4RST Atlantic halibut, the authorized percentages of groundfish bycatch are:
Ø Greenland halibut: 3% per fishing trip.
Ø White hake: 10% per fishing trip.
Ø Shark: The lesser of 10% or 500 kg per fishing trip. The licence holder must hold the Conditions of licence authorizingshark bycatch.
Ø Cod: In NAFO 4T division, the greater of 30% or 45 kg per fishing trip.
In NAFO Divisions 4R and 4S, since the current ITQ Program includes both Atlantic halibut and cod ITQs giving access to these divisions, and since the gear authorized for the Atlantic halibut fishery described in this CHP (i.e. longline with hooks having an opening of at least 15.4 mm) is also an authorized gear for cod, no cod bycatch limit is imposed. However, all cod catches in the Atlantic halibut fishery will be deducted from the licence holders' cod ITQs. It is the responsibility of the licence holders to monitor their Atlantic halibut and cod quotas to ensure that catches made in their fishing activities are within their allocations.
Ø Other groundfish species: 10% per fishing trip.
If bycatch limits per fishing trip are exceeded, the fishery may be closed and legal proceedings may be initiated.
17 Small fish protocol
The minimum size of fish under the small fish protocol is:
Ø Cod 43 cm
Ø American plaice 30 cm
Ø Witch flounder 30 cm
Ø White hake 45 cm
Ø Winter flounder 25 cm
Ø Yellowtail flounder 25 cm
Ø Atlantic halibut 85 cm
Ø Greenland halibut 44 cm
Ø Redfish 22 cm
All specimens of Atlantic halibut less than 85 cm must be returned to the water immediately and, if the fish is still alive, handled in a manner that causes it the least harm.
Areas may be closed to fishing for the fleet or parts of the fleet when the number of undersized fish reaches 15% of the catch of any of the aforementioned species.
18 Simultaneous fisheries
Licence holders are authorized to fish their 4RST Atlantic halibut and 3Pn4RS cod allocations simultaneously, but in separate fishing trips.
19 Catch monitoring and test fishery
Small fish and bycatch closures due to high catch levels are for a minimum duration of 10 days. The cost of conducting all test fisheries is borne by the industry. If a fishery is closed, it will remain closed until DFO determines that it can be effectively monitored and controlled. If any particular fishery is closed twice during the same year because of high levels of bycatch or small fish, it may remain closed for the remainder of the year.
20 Boat
Except under exceptional circumstances, vessel lease outside of the North Shore and use of a vessel over 15.24 m are not authorized.
21 Partnership (combining of licences)
Partnership agreements (Buddy-up system) areauthorized between licence holders of the LNS fixed gear fleet of less than 19.81 m for a maximum of two fish harvesters per agreement. Only one partnership agreement per licence holder per year is authorized. Fish harvesters involved in a partnership agreement may use the number of hooks authorized for an Atlantic halibut quota corresponding to the sum of their ITQ (see Table 1, at Section 8). Landings are recorded proportionally to the ITQs of the two licence holders that are part of a partnership agreement.
To take advantage of a partnership agreement, licence holders must apply through the National Online Licensing System.
22 Conversion rate
In the Atlantic halibut fishery, a conversion rate of 1.14 is used to convert the weight of eviscerated catches to round (entire) fish weight.
23 Quota reconciliation
Groundfish quota reconciliation applies to the current fishing season. As such, quota overruns incurred during a fishery management year will be deducted by a one-to-one factor from next year’s quotas.
It is the responsibility of licence holders to monitor their quota to ensure that catches made during their fishing activities are within their allocated quota. Licence holders are notified of the reconciliation of their individual quota with an information note attached to their Conditions of licence.
24 Groundfish discards monitoring
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 may be increased, in addition to other regulatory options, including fisheries closures and legal proceedings.
25 Other management measures
Fish harvester replacement
Except under exceptional circumstances, fish harvester replacement will not be authorized.
26 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).
27 Crew registry
As of 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 https://inter-l01.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/applications/opti-opei/notice-avis-detail-eng.php?pub_id=2150&todo=view&type=2or contact the Licensing Office at 1-877-535-7307 or fishingpeche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
28 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: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/index-eng.htm.