2026 - Summer herring fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence for Herring Fishing Areas 16A to 16G

Moncton (NB) and Quebec (QC) – July 3, 2026 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announces the details of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) herring summer fishery for the 2026 season for Herring Fishing Areas (HFA) 16A to 16G. A Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 750 metric tonnes (t), taken from the herring fall fishery TAC, is available for the summer fishery.

Sector catch limits are set at 250 t (north), 250 t (central) and 250 t (south), as per the new management approach per sector (MAS). The allocations are distributed according to the fleet and HFA shares per sector.

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.

 

2026 sector catch limits per fleet

Fleet	North	Central	South
Inshore	190	190	190
Mobile	57	57	57

Note: Fleet shares per sector: inshore (76.07 %); Mobile (22.93 %)

 

2026 inshore fleet allocations in HFAs 16A to 16G

Sector	HFA	Share (%)	Allocation (t)
North	16A	1.6	3
North	16B	98.4	187
Central	16C and 16E	100	190
South	16D	9.2	17
South	16F	45.4	86
South	16G	45.4	86

Note: Any allocation overrun in a given year is reconciled against the following season allocation.

 

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

Annex 1 presents a summary of management measures for this fishery.

Annex 1

2026 management measures of the summer herring fishery for the inshore fleet

 

• HFA 16A - Île Verte
  • Monitoring¹:
    • CMP - 100%
    • DMP - Targeted rate of 100%
    • E-log - Mandatory
    • Hail-out - Mandatory
  • Allocation²: 3 t
  • Period: July 1 - December 29
  • Net³:
    • Mesh size: 63.5 mm minimum
    • Depth: 125 mesh
    • Length: 150 fathoms
  • Closures⁴: None
  • Trip limit: One landing per day

 

• HFA 16B - Chaleur bay
  • Monitoring¹:
    • NB:
      • DMP - 100%
      • Logbook - Mandatory or voluntary Elog
      • Hail out - Mandatory
    • QC:
      • CMP - 100%
      • DMP - Targeted rate of 100%
      • E-log - Mandatory
      • Hail out - Mandatory
  • Allocation²: 187 t
  • Period: July 1 - July 31
  • Net³:
    • Mesh size: 66.7 mm minimum
    • Depth: 125 mesh
    • Length: 125 fathoms
  • Closures⁴: None
  • Trip limit: One landing per day, daily limit of 10,206 kg (22,500 lbs) 

 

• 16 C&E - Escuminac, Western PEI and northern GNS
  • Monitoring¹:
    • DMP - 100%
    • Logbook - Mandatory or voluntary Elog
    • Hail out - Mandatory
  • Allocations²: 190 t
  • Period: July 1 - August 21
  • Net³:
    • Mesh size: 66.7 mm minimum
    • Depth: 125 mesh
    • Length: 150 fathoms
  • Closures⁴: 18:00 Friday to 18:00 Sunday
  • Trip limit: One landing per day with a daily limit of 5,670 kg (12,500 lbs)

 

• 16D - Magdalen Islands
  • Monitoring¹:
    • CMP - 100%
    • DMP - Targeted rate of 100%
    • E-log - Mandatory
    • Hail out - Mandatory
  • Allocation²: 17 t
  • Period: July 1 - December 29
  • Net³:
    • Mesh size: 66.7 mm minimum
    • Depth: 125 mesh
    • Length: 150 fathoms
  • Closures⁴: None
  • Trip limit: None

 

• 16F - Pictou
  • Monitoring¹:
    • DMP - 100%
    • Logbook - Mandatory or voluntary Elog
    • Hail out - Mandatory
  • Allocation²: 86⁵ t
  • Period: July 1 - August 14
  • Net³:
    • Mesh size: 66.7 mm minimum
    • Depth: 125 mesh
    • Length: 100 fathoms
  • Closures⁴: 12:00 Friday to 18:00 Sunday 
  • Trip limit: One landing per day, with daily limit self-managed by industry

 

• 16G - Northside and Southside 
  • Monitoring¹:
    • DMP - 100%
    • Logbook - Mandatory or voluntary Elog
    • Hail out - Mandatory
  • Allocations²: 86 t
  • Period: July 5 - September 4
  • Net³ - Northside:  
    • Mesh size: 66.7 mm minimum
    • Depth: 125 mesh
    • Length: 150 fathoms
  • Net³ - Southside:
    • Mesh size: 66.7 mm minimum
    • Depth: 100 mesh
    • Length: 150 fathoms
  • Closures⁴: 15:00 Friday to 15:00 Sunday
  • Trip limit: Maximum 2 landings per day, with daily and weekly limit self-managed by industry

 

• ^1: DMP - dockside monitoring program / CMP - catch monitoring program / E-log - electronic logbook.
• ^2: The allocations for the herring fall fishery will be adjusted based on the summer fishery landings.
• ^3: Tagging of gillnets is required in all HFAs.
• ^4: Dates and times are based on Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT). No nets to remain in the water during the closures.
• ^5: Only 25 t of the 86 t is available for the HFA 16F Summer herring fishery.