Tracadie, New Brunswick (NB) and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI) - April 28, 2026 - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is announcing the management measures for the Scallop Fishing Area (SFA) 22 for 2025-2027.
Fishing Seasons
2025: The fishery will open on Monday, May 5th, 2025 and close on Saturday, May 31st, 2025.
2026: The fishery will open on Monday, May 4th, 2026 and close on Saturday, May 30th, 2026.
2027: The fishery will open on Monday, May 3rd, 2027 and close on Saturday, May 29th, 2027.
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. Prior to the commencement of a fishing trip, fish harvesters are advised to check the Navigational Warnings (NAVWARNs) website at Navigational Warnings for any measures or restrictions applicable.
New in 2026
As announced in a separate Notice to Fish Harvesters, the use of an Electronic logbook (ELOG) and hail-out are mandatory starting in 2026 for all active scallop licence holders in Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL). These new requirements apply to all commercial and communal commercial licence holders in SFA 21, 22, 23 and 24.
Please refer to the following Notice to fish harvesters for more information:
- 2026 - Mandatory Electronic Logbooks for the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Rock Crab and Scallop Fisheries
- 2026 - New scallop commercial fishery management measures for the Gulf Region (SFA 21, 22, 23 and 24)
Other management measures in place
The following management measures remain in effect. 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).
Mandatory reporting of interactions with marine mammals: Any accidental contact between a marine mammal and a vessel or fishing gear must be reported.