Approved March 11, 2026

1. Application

This Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) applies to diving sea urchin fishing licence holders of areas 8, 9, 10 and 11 – North Shore and Gaspe - Lower St. Lawrence – Quebec Region, for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

2. Fishing Areas

• Area 8 extends along the south shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from east of Les Boules to the eastern tip of Île d’Orléans. Fishing activities are authorized in two sub-areas :
  
  • Sub-area 8D, which extends from Anse des Riou to the western tip of Île Verte.
  • Sub-area 8E, which extends from the western tip of Île Verte to the Archipel des Pèlerins.
• Area 9 extends on the north shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary, from Pointe-au-Pic to Pointe-des-Monts. It includes:
  
  • Sub-area 9-1 (mouth sector), which includes the Batture aux Alouettes, the Baie Ste-Catherine and Batture de la Pointe-aux-Vaches;
  • the portion of Area 9 outside of Sub-area 9-1, defined as “Area 9 (excluding 9-1)” in this CHP.
• Area 10 extends along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from east of Pointe-des-Monts to west of the Sheldrake River bridge.
• Area 11 extends along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from the Sheldrake River to Pointe-de-Natashquan inclusively.

The fishing areas coordinates are listed in the Conditions of licence and are also indicated on the fishing areas maps.

3. Fishing closures
   1. Exclusion site

Sea urchin fishing is prohibited at all times in the following areas:

• An exclusion site, linked to the presence of an aquaculture site within sub-area 8D, is prohibited for fishing.
• Sector 9A (Quai de Les Escoumins to Cap-de-Bon Désir).
• Sector 9B (La Baie des Rochers de Cap du Nid-de-Corbeaux jusqu’à l’Anse de Sable).
• Sector 9D.

The exclusion site coordinates are listed in the Conditions of Licence and/or on the fishing areas maps.

4. Fishing Seasons

• Areas 8 to 11 :        from March 15 to December 31.

The following seasons will be in effect for the duration of this CHP. They represent the maximum duration of fishing periods, subject among other things to Orders and specific closure 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.

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 ensure a safe fishery during the period where fishing is authorized.

1. 1. Fishing Schedule (area 8 only)

It is prohibited to fish sea urchins at night, i.e., during the period beginning half an hour after sunset and ending half an hour before sunrise.

5. Number of licences and access

Area 8 :

• Sub-area 8D: 1 commercial licence
• Sub-area 8E: 1 communal commercial licence

Area 9 :

• 2 commercial licences
• 2 communal commercial licences

Area 10 :

• 1 exploratory licence

Area 11 :

• 2 exploratory licences

6. Management Regime and Quotas
   1. Management Regime

Area 8 :        Competitive fishing regime with a total allowable catch (TAC).

Area 9 :        Individual fishing day allocations with Individual Maximum Catch Limit (IMCL) per day*fishing. In Sub‑area 9‑1 only, fishing days are transferable according to the conditions described in section 6.3 of this PPAC.

Area 10 :      Control of fishing effort : control of the number of licences and of the total length of the season.

Area 11 :      Individual fishing day allocations.

1. 2.  Quotas

Area 8 :

• Sub-area 8D : 126 t
• Sub-area 8E : 110,7 t         
  A maximum catch limit of 85 t applies within fishing sub-area 8E-1. Catches taken in sub-area 8E-1 are deducted from the total allowable catch (TAC) of sub-area 8E.

Area 9 :

• Sub-area 9-1 :
  
  • A total of 80 fishing*days are allocated to holders of commercial fishing licences in Area 9.
  • The IMCL is 4 200 kg per day*fishing.
• Area 9 (excluding 9-1) :
  
  • In the portion of Area 9 (excluding 9-1) within SSLMP boundaries: 12 fishing*days per licence holder.
  • In the portion of Area 9 (excluding 9-1) outside SSLMP boundaries: 12 fishing*days per licence holder.
  • In all cases, the IMCL is 6 000 kg per day*fishing.

Area 10 :

No allocation applies.

Area 11 :

Each licence holder has a maximum of 60 fishing*days. No IMCL is in effect in area 11.

1. 1. 1. Definition of fishing*day (areas 9 and 11)

One fishing*day corresponds to a fishing expedition lasting a maximum of 12 hours. Fishing time is defined as the period between departure and return to the dock.

Only one area or sub-area may be exploited during a fishing*days.

Only one landing per fishing*day is allowed. Any additional landing will be considered as an additional fishing*day.

1. 1. 2. Definition of fishing*half-day (area 9 only)

A fishing*half-day corresponds to a fishing trip of up to 5 hours and a maximum catch equivalent to half of the IMCL in force for the area or sub-area concerned. When these two conditions are met, the fisher must indicate on his logbook that he is using a fishing*half-day and indicate the reason for this, so that this information can be recorded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The concept of fishing*half-day is in place to take into consideration difficult climatic conditions, mechanical breakdown, or health problems of divers, which can affect the sea urchin fishery. The use of half a day of fishing will be allowed only for these reasons. Each licence holder will be entitled to a maximum of two fishing*half-days during a fishing season

1. 3.  Temporary and Permanent Transfer (area 9 only)
      1. Temporary Transfer (sub-area 9-1 only)

In the sub-area 9-1, temporary transfers of fishing*days are permitted only between holders of sea urchin fishing licences in area 9. However, a participant must always retain at least 50% of their initial allocation of fishing*days.

1. 1. 2. Permanent Transfer 

Full permanent transfers (100% of fishing days*) are permitted only between holders of commercial sea urchin fishing licences in area 9. The commercial fishing licence of the holder who requested the transfer of his fishing days will then be automatically cancelled.

No partial permanent transfer (less than 100% of fishing days) is permitted.

1. 4. Quota reconciliation (aera 8 only)

Any quota overrun incurred in a sub-area will be deducted from the quota for this sub-area for the following season by a one-to-one ratio.

7. Catch management
   1. Characteristics of authorized catches

A minimum size of 50 mm of test width (shell excluding spines) applies.

8. Fishing Gear

The only authorized fishing method is manual harvesting by diving.

1. 1. Number of Divers Authorized

Area 8 :

When one fishing boat (main) is involved in the fishing trip, a maximum of 5 divers is allowed, at any time, either diving and/or on board the boat.

When a secondary boat is used in addition to the main boat, a maximum of 2 divers at any time, either diving and/or on board the boat, is allowed.

Areas 9, 10 and 11 :

At all times, a maximum of 4 divers is allowed, either diving and/or on board the boat.

9. 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 in 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.

10. Fishing Activities Declaration and Monitoring

The licence holder must keep a true record of their fishing activities and catches in their Combined form or in their Electronic logbook in accordance with their Conditions of licence.

1. 1. Combined form/LogBook

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

The licence holder must acquire their booklet of Combined Forms from a Prequalified supplier identified by DFO.

1. 2. Electronic logbook

The use of an electronic logbook (Elog) is optional until further notice. Fish harvesters must use a client application approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the Quebec region for the form ELOG – Logbook – Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Marine Plants and Hunting. Furthermore, fish harvesters must have obtained and installed their Elog Key in their client application in order to allow data transmission to the Department.

The Elog must be completed for each fishing expedition and “closed” before arriving at the port. A fishing expedition means a voyage that commences at the time a fishing vessel leaves a port to engage in fishing and terminates at the time fish caught during that period are offloaded. Hence, when a fisher goes back to port for a reason other than for offloading fish and leaves port again, the fishing expedition goes on until fish are offloaded.

To consult the list of client applications approved by the Department and to obtain your Elog Key, visit Fisheries and Ocean’s web page at the following web page: Electronic logbooks (ELOGs)

To request a modification to data that has been transmitted to Fisheries and Oceans, you must communicate with the client support service at 1-877-535-7307.

1. 3. Hail in (areas 8 and 9)

Before the beginning of a fishing trip, the licence holder and the fishing vessel operator must have entered into an agreement with a Dockside Monitoring Company legally designated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for hail in.

A hail‑in to a local dockside monitoring company is mandatory at least one hour before each arrival at the port.

1. 4. Dockside Monitoring (area 9 only)

Dockside monitoring is mandatory for 100% of landings.

Landings must be made at one of the designated dockside monitoring ports listed on the list of Designated dockside monitoring ports.

When using an Electronic Logbook (eLog), you must provide your eLog unique identifier (eLog UID) to the Dockside Monitoring Company when making your hail‑in, and also provide it to the dockside observer.

1. 5. Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)

Vessels must be equipped with an active vessel monitoring system (VMS) approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Each licence holder must register his DFO-approved VSM 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 in the National Vessel Monitoring System web page.

1. 6. Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) (area 8 only)

A Fisheries and Oceans approved electronic monitoring system (EMS) is mandatory on all vessels used in fishing trips. Licence holders must allow qualified installers and Fishery Officers access to their vessel for the installation, removal and maintenance of the EMS, as well as for the installation or retrieval of the EMS memory card or hard drive. Prior to leaving the dock for a fishing trip and during all activities related to that fishing trip (harvesting, handling, measuring, sorting urchins and transporting and deploying divers), licence holders must ensure that the EMS is functional and that the camera lens remains clean so that the quality of the video or photos is not reduced.

11. Particularities Applicable to the Fishery
    1. Characteristics and Use of Boats

The main boat used must be less than 15.24 m in overall length (LOA), regardless of the volumetric index.

Area 8 :

The use of a secondary boat, in addition to the main boat, is permitted under certain conditions :

• the secondary vessel must be less than 8 m in overall length (LOA);
• when a secondary boat is used, it must only be used for diver deployment
• operations and for the transportation of urchins. No handling (measuring and sorting of urchins) is allowed on the secondary boat;

transport and diver deployment activities must be conducted on one vessel at a time and all members of the fishing expedition must be on board or deployed from the same vessel.

Both (main and secondary) boats must be registered.

Areas 9, 10,and 11 :

Leasing of boats from outside the North Shore is prohibited.

1. 2. Participation Criteria (exploratory licences)

As with all emerging fisheries, licence holders will need to demonstrate that they have fully participated in the development of the fishery by meeting predetermined minimum participation criteria before being eligible for reissuance of the licence, if applicable.

The minimum annual participation criteria are :  

1. 1. 1. 1. the achievement of a minimum of three (3) fishing days during the season in accordance with the protocol agreed with DFO. A fishing day must include a minimum of three dives per diver;
         2. Collecting data in accordance with the protocol provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and
         3. Submitting the data to the local Fisheries and Oceans Canada office each year, no later than the date specified in the Conditions of licence.

Participation criteria could be adapted and others added in the event of reissuance of licence the following year.

In the event that a licence holder does not meet the established participation criteria during a given year, the exploratory fishing licence may not be reissued the following year.

1. 3. Simultaneous Activities

All areas :

Under no circumstances may fishing activities conducted under a provincial sea urchin aquaculture licence be combined with a sea urchin fishing trip conducted under exploratory or commercial fishing licence conditions. In addition, it is prohibited to transfer or move sea urchins from one location to another, including rearing facilities.

Area 9 :

It is prohibited to harvest sea urchins in more than one sub‑area during the same calendar day.

1. 4. Reassignment of licences (areas 9,10 and 11)

In the event of a commercial licence reassignment, the proposed holder of a replacement licence must be a permanent resident of the North Shore region.

12. 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.

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).

13. Crew registry

All independent core licence holders and their approved designated operators must keep records of all the crew members working aboard the vessel on every fishing trip in accordance with its Conditions of licence. This requirement does not apply to pre-1979 corporation licence and to any licence issued under the authority of the Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licenses Regulations. For further details, refer to the March 17th, 2021 Notice to fish harvesters, New inshore regulations or contact the licensing office at 1-877-535-7307 or fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

14. Discharge of Waste

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 following Notice to Fish harvesters : New condition of licence relating to discharge of garbage.

15.  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 any question regarding this CHP

You may call at :

North Shore area: 1-800-463-1729

Gaspé-Lower St.Lawrence area : 1-877-898-5559

For additional information

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