Tracadie (NB), Charlottetown (PEI) and Antigonish (NS) – June 12, 2024 - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is announcing the management measures for the rock crab fishery in Lobster Fishing Area 25 (LFA 25) in 2024.
Fishing Season
The summer fishing season in LFA 25 will open at 6:00 a.m. on June 24, 2024 and will remain open until July 27, 2024. These season dates comply with the practice of opening the fishery on the last Monday in June until the last Saturday in July. DFO wishes to remind fish harvesters to take extra care when navigating on the opening day of the fishery as vessels are loaded with gear and traps. Harvesters are encouraged to act diligently in setting their traps and should ensure that vessels are loaded safely by reducing the quantity of gear if necessary.
Opening and closing dates for the fall fishery will be published in a subsequent Notice to Fish Harvesters.
Management measures in place for the 2024 fishing season
Gear Marking: Gear marking is in place in this fishery. Details of these requirements can be found in your licence conditions and at the following Internet address: Notice to Fish Harvesters: Update to the conditions of licences related to the mandatory colour scheme for gear marking in Eastern Canada.
Management measures to minimize interactions with North Atlantic right whales: The management measures to protect the right whales are available at the following Internet address: 2024 fishery management measures.
Biodegradable mechanisms: The use of biodegradable mechanisms on all traps, including modified lobster traps, is mandatory. Please refer to your licence conditions for specifications on these biodegradable mechanisms.
Data entry: The licence holder is responsible to enter into an agreement with a Dockside Monitoring Company for data entry of catch and effort information; a condition to this effect is included in all licences.
Logbooks: Crab Logbook/Landing Report are mandatory and must be completed as stipulated in the licence conditions.
Dockside Monitoring Program: All of the catch must be weighed in kilograms at one decimal point on an approved scale.
Number of traps: 100 traps
Catch limitation:
Commercial licences – 25,000 kg
Communal commercial licences – 35,000 kg
Community licences – 35,000 kg
Minimum size: Only male rock crab may be retained. No rock crab that is less than 102 mm in carapace size (width) may be retained.
DFO will continue to apply the exploitation principle that prioritizes the rock crab fishery as follows: by-catch in the lobster fishery, bait for the lobster fishery and then directed rock crab fishery.