Moncton (NB) and Quebec (QC) – June 30, 2026 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announces the Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) for the 2026 herring bait fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) in Herring Fishing Areas (HFA) 16A to 16G.
The bait fishery (herring only) will begin on July 1, 2026.
Eligible fish harvesters who wish to participate in this fishery must refer to their conditions of licence that will be available on the National Online Licensing System (NOLS).
New in 2026
Changes to Reporting of Lost / Retrieved Fishing Gear
DFO is advising fish harvesters of changes in the conditions of licences related to lost and retrieved fishing gear. Please consult the document 2026 - Conditions of Licence : Changes to Reporting of Lost / Retrieved Fishing Gear for additional information.
OTHER MANAGEMENT MEASURES
Voluntary use of an electronic logbook (ELOG)
The use of an ELOG for Gulf Region harvesters is authorized. More information can be found on the following website: Electronic logbooks (ELOGS).
Mandatory Hail-out
Mandatory hail-out for all harvesters from the Gulf and Quebec Regions.
Mandatory logbook
Gulf Region harvesters must obtain either a paper logbook or an ELOG from a prequalified supplier listed on the following websites:
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Herring and Mackerel logbook - Fixed gear (paper format): Prequalified Logbook Suppliers.
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ELOG: Qualified electronic logbooks (ELOG) client applications.
Quebec Region harvesters must continue to use the ELOG.
Hail-in
Gulf Region harvesters using a paper logbook or an ELOG must have an agreement with a dockside monitoring company (DMC) and must hail-in a catch estimate prior to arriving at wharf.
Bait fishery landings
Bait catches will be counted as part of the herring fall fishery Total Allowable Catch (TAC).
Weekend closures
Weekend closures for all HFA is every week beginning at 12:00 Atlantic Daylight 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.
Gear marking
Gear marking requirements are found in the bait conditions of licence.
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