Tracadie, New Brunswick (NB) – September 29, 2022 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Gulf Region, is announcing the management measures for the smelt commercial fishery in Eastern New Brunswick (ENB) area that will be in effect for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 fishing seasons.
Opening dates for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 fishing seasons
The season dates for the commercial smelt fishery in the tidal waters of that portion of New Brunswick that borders on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait are as follows:
- Gill net: Open season from 8:00 a.m. on October 1 to February 24 inclusively.
- Box net, Bag net and Trap net: Open season from 8:00 a.m. on October 30 to March 16 inclusively.
Note : The waters of the Miramichi River upstream from the Morrissy Bridge in Newcastle remain closed to smelt fishing using bag net, box net, trap net and gill net.
NEW
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 anything 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.
Management measures for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 fishing seasons
Catch reporting hail-in
All active licence holders will be required to call at 1-833-978-1605 on a weekly basis to report the smelt catches landed during each week fished. Information collected will be used for statistical purposes only and will improve catch and effort data in the commercial smelt fishery. Information that will have to be reported during the call will be included in the licence conditions.
Please note that the number of fishing gear reported during the catch reporting is the number of gear in the water during the week and not the number of times it was fished. This year we will be adding an extra field for gill nets; the operator will ask how many fathoms are being used.
Costs related to the catch reporting system implementation and usage will be covered by the Department, at no cost to fishers.
Fishing gear
All fishing gear used in the commercial smelt fishery must be identified with the name of the licence holder and must have a valid tag that has been obtained by the licence holder from an approved supplier. In addition, each tag has to be listed on the Record of Fishing Gear Tags issued with the smelt fishing licence. A licence holder who can show that he/she has fished with a double trap / box / bag net in the past will be authorized to continue to do so as a grandfather clause. However, this grandfather clause will terminate when the licence is reissued. In addition, licence holders authorized to use double trap / box / bag net under the grandfather clause are required to fix two tags per double fishing gear.
Qualifying licence holders for the double net grandfather clause must communicate with the undersigned in order to ensure its validity.
Tags
All licence holders across Canada are now responsible to obtain and pay for any gear tag used in commercial and communal commercial fisheries. If you have not already done so, please contact an approved tag supplier as soon as possible. A list of approved tag suppliers is kept up to date at the following address: Approved tag suppliers.
Bycatch
The Department wishes to remind fish harvesters that they have to sort their catches immediately after having fished their fishing gear. Smelt fish harvesters may retain tomcod that is incidentally caught with smelt fishing gear operated under the authority of a licence; however, all other species of fish (including Greenland cod, commonly known as “Rock cod”), shall forthwith be returned to the place from which it was taken, and where it is alive, in a manner that causes it the least harm.
The existing freeze on the reissuance of smelt licences is maintained. Consequently, the minimum number of fishing gear of all types authorized per licence is maintained at 8 fishing gears, and the maximum number of fishing gear of all types authorized is maintained at 15 fishing gears. Details on the licence reissuance freeze can be found in the Chapter 6 of the Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for the Gulf Region at the following link: Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for the Gulf Region.
Other management measures in place
Marine Mammal Interaction Reporting
Since 2018, all licence holders/operators must provide information regarding all lethal and nonlethal marine mammal interactions during fishing trips, including bycatch, collision and all sightings of marine mammals entangled in fishing gear in the DFO Marine Mammal Interaction Form.