Moncton, New Brunswick (NB) – July 31, 2024 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Gulf Region, announces the 2024 management measures for Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 25. Unless indicated otherwise, existing management measures remain in place. Please refer to your lobster licence conditions for further details. Licence conditions are available on the National Online Licensing System.
NEW Opening date
The opening date in LFA 25 is changed to August 7 at 6:00 a.m. The last day of fishing is October 8. The opening of the fishery is subject to weather conditions. If there is a delay, the season will lengthen one day for one day at the end of the season, up to a maximum of 4 days.
A new management measure will be implemented this year in LFA 25, limiting fishing activities to trap-setting only on the season's opening day. Traps should not be hauled prior to 00:01 on the day following the opening. For this reason, a new provision has been added to the licence conditions for LFA 25, that all harvesters will have to comply with. Amended licence conditions are available on the National Online Licensing System.
Management measures for the 2024 fishing season
Carapace size
The minimum lobster carapace size will be 79 mm for LFA 25 in 2024.
Curfew
The daily close time is from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., including the first 48 hours of the fishery. There is no curfew during the last 48 hours of the fishery.
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.
Restrictions on the reissuance of lobster licences.
For information on restriction on the reissuance 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.
Transit Corridors
The transit corridors in LFA 23 and LFA 24 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. 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 and ELOG
Licence holders that will not be using an ELOG 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 Suppliers.
| LFA | Minimum legal carapace size (mm)¹ | Maximum size females (mm) | Maximum number of traps | Minimum number of traps per line | Maximum hoop size (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 - Prince Edward Island (PEI) | 79 | 115 | 2402 | n/a | 152 |
| 25 - New Brunswick (NB) | 79 | 115 | 250 | n/a | 152 |
| 25 - Gulf Nova Scotia (GNS) | 79 | 115 | 225 | n/a | 152 |
Notes:
¹See Table 2 for height of escape mechanism corresponding to the minimum carapace size in effect.
²PEI harvesters are eligible to acquire an additional 10 traps from the Prince County Fishermen Association
Height and Length of Escape Mechanisms
The height of the escape mechanism as indicated in Tables 2 and 3 needs to be adjusted according to the minimum legal carapace size in effect in the 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 |
| >80 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 |
| >80 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 |
Before you start fishing
The Department has gathered 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...
Note
Several recommendations were submitted by the industry seeking to add new management measures or modify existing ones for the 2024 season. Some of these proposals are still being reviewed and will be discussed further with industry at the end of the fishing season.