Québec – March 13, 2024
Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP)
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) - Québec Region wishes to inform shrimp harvesters of the opening of the northern shrimp fishing season on April 1, 2024 in all shrimp fishing areas of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (Areas 8, 9, 10 and 12). Management measures are available in the 2024 Conservation Harvesting Plan approved on March 11, 2024.
Measures for temporary transfers of ITQ
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) - Quebec Region announces that the temporary transfer flexibility measures in place in 2023 will be renewed in 2024. Thus, temporary transfers of ITQs from the Esquiman Area between Group A participants from Quebec as well , as well as temporary transfers of ITQs from the Anticosti (9), Sept-Îles (10) and Estuary (12) areas between Group B participants from the same province will be authorized up to 100%.
Under these circumstances, until December 31, 2024, the Department is suspending the application of the minimum 50% of the initial ITQ that a Group A participant must always hold, as stipulated in section 7.6 of the Regional Guidelines for the Management of Individual Transferable Quota Programs as well as the application of the 37% maximum stipulated in sections 4.5.3 and 4.5.7 of the Administrative Guidelines of the Individual transferable quota (ITQ) program for the Group B Gulf Shrimp Fleet. It should be noted that the maximum ITQ that a participant may accumulate by temporary transfer (articles 4.5.1 and 4.5.2) of the Administrative Guidelines remains applicable.
Discussions on other possible flexibility measures for the 2024 fishing season are continuing with the industry and will be the subject of a Notice to Fish Harvesters if they are implemented.
For additional information
Additional information on management measures and fishing zones can be found on our website at Commercial Fisheries.