Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI) – July 6, 2022 - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is announcing the fisheries management measures for the Prince Edward Island (PEI) groundfish fixed-gear licence holders, with vessels less than 13.1716 metres (45 feet) in overall length that have registered to fish Atlantic Halibut in 2022.
Individual Allocation: The Atlantic Halibut allocation for the PEI fixed gear fleet in 2022 will be 69.63 metric tonnes. Based on the number of registered participants, an individual catch limit of 335 kg round weight will be implemented. To convert dressed (head on, gutted) weight to round weight, multiply dressed weight by 1.14.
Season: In 2022, the PEI Atlantic halibut fishery will be four openings of four days, from Tuesday to Friday for each opening or until the quota is caught. The openings will occur on July 12 to 15, July 26 to 29, September 13 to 16 and September 27 to September 30. During open periods, the fishery will occur from 4 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the last day of each opening. Licence holders are not permitted to leave port until 2 a.m. on the day of an opening and must return to port by 6 p.m. the last day of the opening.
The Atlantic Halibut fishery will close when the quota nears zero metric tonne or the quota is captured. If more than 10% of the quota remains after the fourth opening, a list of eligible licence holders will be created and the quota redistributed based on the individual catch limit.
NEW management measures in place for the 2022 fishing season:
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.
New condition: The licence holder/operator is prohibited from discarding in Canadian fisheries waters from their vessel any item that may be harmful to fish or fish habitat including but not limited to plastics, ropes, fishing gear, garbage bags, fuel, oil, rags, glass, bottles, metal, extruded polystyrene foam (e.g. Styrofoam), and tires.
Refer to the Notice to Fish Harvesters sent on April 7, 2022 for further details: Commercial fishery requirements
Pilot Project in 4T5 / 4T7
Following a request from the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA), the department will allow a limited fishery (15 licence holders) in the groundfish fishing area 4T5 and 4T7. Electronic monitoring system (camera) and at sea observers will be used to monitor this activity. Fishers will be required to fish their gear based on a specific protocol.