Moncton, New Brunswick (NB) – March 28, 2024 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Gulf Region, announces the 2024 management measures for Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 23, 24, 26A and 26B. Unless indicated otherwise, existing management measures remain in place. Please refer to your lobster licence conditions for further details. Licence conditions should be available on the National Online Licensing System on March 30, 2024.
Management measures and the season dates for LFA 25 will be issued at a later date.
Opening Dates in 2024
Please see the 2024 targeted season dates below:
| Lobster Fishing Area | 2024 Open Season Dates |
|---|---|
| 23 | 6:00 am, April 30 - June 301 |
| 24 | 6:00 am, April 29 - June 291 |
| 26A 1&3 | 6:00 am, April 26 - June 261 |
| 26A-2 | 6:00 am, April 26 - June 261 |
| 26 B (South) | 6:00 am, April 29 - June 291 |
| 26 B (North) | 6:00 am, May 6 - July 61 |
- 1Flexibility at end of season 1 day for 1 day up to 4 days
These are targeted season dates and subject to change due to ice, weather, or other conditions.
DFO will monitor and assess the situation at the various wharves a few weeks before the scheduled opening. Conference calls will be held in the days leading up to the scheduled opening between DFO and stakeholders to obtain feedback on the situation at various locations in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Management measures in place for the 2024 fishing season
Management measures to minimize interactions with North Atlantic Right Whales
The Management measures to minimize interactions with North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) can be found at the following address: 2024 fishery management measures.
Starting in 2024, Notices of Fishing Prohibitions to protect North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) will be enforced through a clause newly added in the licence conditions, rather than issuing Variation Orders.
- The Notices of Fishing Prohibition will prohibit setting traps in grids where NARW have been detected.
- The Notice to Fish Harvesters will now refer to "prohibited grids" and "revoke prohibited grids" instead of using "open" and "closed" terminologies.
| Lobster Fishing Area | Minimum legal carapace size (mm)1 | Window size females (mm)2 | Maximum number of traps | Minimum number of traps per line3 | Maximum hoop size (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23A | 81 | 115-129 | 300 | n/a | 152 |
| 23B | 81 | 115-129 | 300 | n/a | 152 |
| 23C | 81 | 115-129 | 300 | 3 traps6 | 152 |
| 23D | 81 | 115-129 | 300 | 3 traps6 | 152 |
| 24 | 75 | 115-129 | 300 | 6 traps | n/a |
| 26A-1 (PEI) | 76 | 115-129 | 272 | 6 traps6 | n/a |
| 26A-1 (Gulf NS) | 76 | 115-129 | 280 | 5 traps | n/a |
| 26A-2 | 77 | 115-129 | 255 and 2754 | 6 traps | 152 |
| 26A-3 | 81 | 115-129 | 250 | 2 traps | n/a |
| 26B South | 82.5 | n/a | 250 | n/a | n/a |
| 26B North5 | 83 | n/a | 250 | 5 traps | 152 |
Notes:
- 1See table 2 for height of escape mechanism corresponding to the minimum carapace size in effect.
- 2As defined by licence conditions (female Lobster of a length of 115 mm but not more than 129 mm shall be returned to the water immediately in a manner that causes it the least harm).
- 3As defined by licence conditions.
- 4Commercial licence holders: 255 traps/Some Communal Commercial licence holders: 275 traps.
- 5Closure to fishing of Cheticamp Harbour.
- 6In a portion of the LFA.
Height and Length of Escape Mechanisms
The height of the escape mechanism as indicated in Table 2 needs to be adjusted according to the minimum legal carapace size in effect in each LFA (refer to Table 1 for minimum legal size).
| Minimum legal carapace size | Minimum height of escape opening |
|---|---|
| >73 mm to 76 mm | 43 mm |
| >76 mm to 79 mm | 44 mm |
| >79 mm to 81 mm | 46 mm |
| >81 mm to 83 mm | 47 mm |
| >83 mm to 84 mm | 48 mm |
| >84 mm to 85 mm | 49 mm |
| Minimum legal carapace size | Minimum height of escape opening |
|---|---|
| >73 mm to 76 mm | 42 mm |
| >76 mm to 79 mm | 43 mm |
| >79 mm to 81 mm | 46 mm |
| >81 mm to 83 mm | 47 mm |
| >83 mm to 84 mm | 48 mm |
| >84 mm to 85 mm | 49 mm |
LFA 26B North
A multi-year management plan will be implemented as follows:
- 2024: Minimum carapace size of 83 mm
- 2025: Minimum carapace size of 83.5 mm and increase in escape mechanism size to 48 mm x 127 mm
- 2026: Minimum carapace size of 84 mm and maximum hoop size of 152 mm is removed as a restriction in the Conditions of Licence
Bait
Starting in 2024, the minimal carapace size of rock crab used as bait will increase to 108 mm in LFA 26A (including A1, A2, and A3).
Restrictions on the movement of lobster licences
For information on restriction on the movement of lobster licences you can refer to the Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for Gulf Region that can be found at the following link: Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for the Gulf Region.
Daily closed time
The daily close time is from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. in LFA 23.
Transit Corridors
The transit corridors remain in effect, and a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) is required (every 5 minutes) if using the transit corridor. The corridor allows fish harvesters to transport their catches through that area to reach their homeport avoiding the use of the smack boat. For this reason, a validity period is added to LFA 23D licences conditions from the date of issuance to June 30. The opening and closing of the season will remain as indicated in the Fisheries Regulations or as announced in a Variation Order. The coordinates for the corridor are identified in the Variation Order and the licence conditions of those using the corridor.
Logbook
Licence holders that will not be using an Electronic logbooks (ELOGS) are still required to use paper logbooks and submit them to DFO on a monthly basis as in previous years. The list of paper logbook suppliers is available at the following Internet address: Prequalified logbook and combined form suppliers.
Before you go fishing
The Department has assembled a list of requirements and documents harvesters will need before they start fishing. This list is available at: Before you start fishing, you will need....