Tracadie (NB) and Charlottetown (PEI) – April 13, 2022 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is announcing the management measures for the Scallop Fishing Area 22 (SFA 22) for 2022-2024.
Fishing Seasons
2022: The fishery will open on Monday, May 2nd, 2022 and close on Saturday, May 28th, 2022.
2023: The fishery will open on Monday, May 1st, 2023 and close on Saturday, May 27th, 2023.
2024: The fishery will open on Monday, May 6th, 2024 and close on Saturday, June 1st, 2024.
The fishery will take place from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, and will be closed on Sundays. The opening dates were established in consultations with industry members.
DFO wishes to remind fish harvesters to exercise caution when navigating in locations where dredging operations are on-going.
NEW in 2022
Discarding waste
In 2022, all commercial fisheries in Canada have a new condition of licence relating to the discharge of garbage from Canadian fishing vessels. The licence holder/operator is prohibited from discarding in Canadian fisheries waters from their vessel any time that may be harmful to fish or fish habitat. Refer to the Notice to Fish Harvesters sent on April 7, 2022 for further details: Commercial fishery requirements.
Fishing gear reporting system (or Lost Gear Reporting)
A new online system was launched in July 2021 to allow commercial harvesters to conveniently input lost and retrieved gear information from any smart electronic device. The system is able to capture information such as descriptions, cause of loss and location of the lost gear. Fish harvesters can create their account and begin reporting their data through the system at this website: Fishing Gear Reporting System.
Other management measures in place
The following management measures from 2021 will remain in effect for the 2022-2024 fishing seasons. Further details are available in the scallop licence conditions:
Ring Size: The authorized minimal ring size in the bucket construction is set at 89 mm (3½ inches) with no rubber washers, with the exception of the first row of buckets where 76.2 mm (3 inches) rings may be used.
Washers: A maximum of two steel washers may be used to join two bucket rings together, giving a maximum of eight steel washers per ring. No rubber washer may be used. Rubber flappers are only allowed to be used on the bottom. With the exception of the authorized rubber flappers, no other type of chaffing gear can be used.
Meat Count: No more than 44 scallops can be harvested per 500 g of meat.
Drag Size: Maximum cumulative width of 4.88 m (16 feet) (outside measurements).
Tow Bar: The tow bar must be raised at least 50.8 mm (2 inches) by the use of runners or wheels located at both extremities of the bar and that are at least 50.8 mm (2 inches) wide.
Offloading Requirements: No person shall land (off-load) any other part of the scallop except for the adductor muscle (no roe or other internal organs of the scallop may be retained).
Coastal Buffer Zone: The coastal buffer zone for the protection of lobster habitat and the ecosystem continues to be applied by variation order.
Logbook: Fish harvesters are required to maintain a record of their estimated catches in the Scallop Logbook (GLF VERSION 2020) prior to entering port. Logbooks must be returned to DFO no later than two weeks following the closure of the fishing season.
Mandatory reporting of interactions between vessels or fishing gear and marine mammals: Any accidental contact between marine mammal and a vessel or fishing gear must be reported.