Moncton (NB) and Québec (QC) – June 30, 2023 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announces the Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) for the 2023 herring bait fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence in Herring Fishing Areas 16A to 16G. The bait fishery (herring only) will begin on July 3, 2023.
New in 2023
Mandatory hail out for harvesters in the Gulf and Quebec Regions
DFO is implementing a mandatory hail out for the commercial and bait herring fisheries in 2023 for all harvesters from the Gulf and Quebec Regions. Harvesters must refer to the conditions of licence for compliance requirements.
Bait landings part of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC)
Bait catches will be counted as part of the TAC.
Other management measures
Authorized species:
The bait fishing licence is only valid for herring.
Mandatory logbook
DFO is reminding harvesters of the Gulf Region of the mandatory logbook (paper format) for the commercial and bait herring fisheries since 2022.
Gulf Region harvesters must obtain the Herring and Mackerel logbook - Fixed gear from a prequalified supplier and must refer to the conditions of licence for compliance requirements. The list of prequalified suppliers is available at the following link: Prequalified Logbook Suppliers.
Quebec Region harvesters must continue to use the electronic logbook.
Validity period
In 2023, herring bait licence conditions will be valid from July 3 to December 31.
Weekend closures
Weekend closures for all Herring Fishing Areas every week beginning at 12:00 Atlantic Daily Time (ADT) (noon) on Friday and ending at 12:00 (ADT) (noon) on Sunday.
Maximum weekly limit
The maximum quantity of herring authorized to catch and retain between Sunday at 12:00 ADT (noon) and the following Friday at 12:00 ADT (noon) is 2,270 kg in total.
Gear authorized
A maximum of 3 gillnets for a maximum total length of 50 fathoms with a minimum mesh size of 66.7 mm.
Fishing restrictions
It is strictly forbidden to sell any species of fish caught under the authority of a bait licence.
Hail-in
A hail-in of catch estimate is mandatory before entering port for fish harvesters from the Gulf Region. All licence holders will need to enter in an agreement with a dockside monitoring company prior to commencing the fishery.
Quebec Region harvesters must continue to use the electronic logbook.
Gear marking
Gear marking requirements are found in the bait licence conditions.
Reporting Requirements
Harvesters must refer to the conditions of licence for reporting requirements for items such as:
- Species at Risk
- Marine mammal interaction
- Lost gear reporting
- Retrieved gear reporting