subject : Opening of the lobster fishery in areas 17 and 18

Sept-Îles – April 27, 2026

Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Quebec Region announces the opening of the lobster fishing season in areas 17 and 18.

In area 17, the opening has been set for Monday, May 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. (EDT) as recommended by the fleets representatives. The fishery will close on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

The pilot project allowing unbaited traps to be set during the first seven days following the opening of the season will be extended in 2026 for all Area 17 license holders. The trap setting period will run from May 4, 2026, at 5:00 a.m. (EDT) to May 11, 2026, at 4:59 a.m. (EDT). Once the traps have been set, lobster harvesting and the hauling, moving, or handling of the traps are prohibited until the end of the setting period.

In area 18, sub-areas 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D, 18E, 18F and 18G opening has been set for Monday, May 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. (EDT) as recommended by the fleet representatives. The fishery will close on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

Sub-area 18H opening has been set for Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. (EDT) as recommended by the fleet representatives. The fishery will close on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

The opening periods for Subarea 18I, as well as for Areas 15 and 16, will be determined at a later date in a separate Notice to Fish Harvesters.

The other management measures are listed in the 2026-2028 Conservation Harvesting Plan for the loster fishery in Areas 15, 16, 17 and 18, available on the DFO website.

Conditions of licence

In order to obtain the Conditions of Licence, fish harvesters must access the National Online Licensing System. For assistance with the National Online Licensing System, please contact customer support by phone at 1-877-535-7307 or by email at fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

For additional information

You can find additional information about management measures and fishing areas on the DFO – Quebec region’s website.

Resource Management

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

North Shore area: 1-800-463-1729

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