Notices to Fish Harvesters

 Gaspé – March 23,2023

Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Quebec Region announces the opening of the Atlantic halibut fishery for the Gaspé fixed gear fleet less than 13.71 m from the Others group in the 4RST divisions.

The fishery will be authorized from April 1, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. EDT to April 14, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EDT and from May 1, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. EDT to May 14, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Licence holders may take advantage of either of the proposed fishing periods.

The authorized fishing gear is the longline. All hooks must have an opening of at least 15.4 mm. The number of hooks allowed is presented in Table 1 and is established according to the allocation held by the licence holder, including the quantities transferred or received through transfer.

Temporary closure for Atlantic Halibut directed fishery

Please note that for the 2022-2023 season, fishing for Atlantic halibut is prohibited in parts of NAFO divisions 4R and 4S where water depth is less than 201.2 meters (110 fathoms), for all Gaspésie fixed gear fleets due to high cod bycatch. Additional measures may be required during the season to limit cod bycatch.

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

Please note that the temporary closure initiated on September 2, 2022 for all Quebec fixed gear fleets in a portion of sub-division 4T3a due to significant cod by-catch remains in effect. This closure area is included within the straight lines bounded by the following points:

1. 48°38’34.67" N    63°50’00.00" O
2. 48º34’52.09" N    63º40’00.00" O
3. 48º25’00.00" N    63º40’00.00" O
4. 48º25’00.00" N    63°50’00.00" O
5. 48°38’34.67" N    63°50’00.00" O

This closed area may reopen, subject to the results of a test fishery, which will be conducted in early April.

Vessel Monitoring System (VSM)

The Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) is mandatory in the Atlantic halibut fishery for the 2022-2023 fishing season. Boats will have to be equipped with an active VMS approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Each licence holders will have to register their approved VMS with DFO prior to the beginning of their fishing activities of the 2022-2023 season.

Reconciliation of quotas

The reconciliation of groundfish quotas applies to this fishery. Thus, any overrun of an individual quota incurred by a licence holder at the end of a management year will be deducted, on a one-for-one basis, from his individual quota in the following year(s). It is the responsibility of licence holders to monitor their Atlantic halibut quotas and to ensure that catches made in their fishing activities are in accordance with the quotas allocated to them.

Management measures for the Atlantic halibut fishery are detailed in the CHP for the 4RST Atlantic Halibut fishery by the Gaspé fixed gear fleet of less than 13.71 m for the 2022-2023 season, approved May 20, 2022 and amended March 23, 2023.

Licence conditions

To obtain licence conditions, licence holders must access the National Licensing System online and indicate their chosen selected fishing period. 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 more information

You can obtain additional information concerning the management measures and the fishing areas on our website at Quebec Region

For more information, please call 1-877-898-5559

Caroline Leclerc

Resources Management

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Gaspé–Lower St. Lawrence Area

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