Moncton (NB), Quebec (QC), St. John’s (NL) and Halifax (NS) – April 30, 2025 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) today announced an interim Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the Atlantic halibut fishery in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Divisions 4RST. Additionally, DFO is announcing the TAC set for the Greenland halibut fishery in Divisions 4RST, as well as for certain groundfish stocks in Division 4T and Subdivision 4Vn.
4RST Atlantic halibut
For the period from May 15, 2025, until May 14, 2026, an interim TAC is set at 2,466 tonnes (t). Once a decision on the 2025-26 TAC is confirmed for this fishery, final allocations will be provided.
As part of this TAC, a 75 t allocation is set aside under section 10 of the Fisheries Act to support the industry/DFO scientific longline survey and tagging project.
The remaining interim allocation available for fishing is 2,391 t and will be distributed in accordance with the sharing formula announced in 2016, following a review of the inshore fixed gear fleet shares. As a result, the initial interim allocations per fleet for 2025-26 (excluding any temporary transfer of quota from mobile gear fleets to inshore fixed gear fleets and calculated before quota reconciliation and the carry-forward of previously uncaught quota, where applicable) are as follows:
| Fleets | Allocations (t) |
|---|---|
| Eastern New Brunswick | 86.177 |
| Gulf Nova Scotia | 33.504 |
| Gulf Prince Edward Island | 24.336 |
| Western Newfoundland | 533.898 |
| Quebec North Shore | 137.350 |
| Gaspésie | 733.922 |
| Magdalen Islands | 90.678 |
| Scotia Fundy | 27.170 |
| Mobile Gear < 19.81 m | 280.088 |
| Fixed Gear 19.81 m – 30.48 m | 81.977 |
| Mobile Gear 19.81 m – 30.48 m | 81.977 |
| Vessels > 30.48 m | 280.088 |
| Scientific survey | 75.000 |
| Total | 2,466 |
4RST Greenland halibut
An annual TAC of 290 t is set for this stock for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fishing seasons. The interruption of the temporary transfer of 50% of the allocation from the inshore mobile-gear fleet to the fixed-gear fleet is maintained for 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Other Groundfish Stocks
In accordance with the rebuilding plans for four groundfish stocks in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO 4T and 4TVn), the 2025-26 TACs for 4T winter flounder, 4TVn Atlantic Cod, 4T American plaice and 4T white hake are established as follows:
| Species | TAC | Time Period |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Flounder (4T) | 150 t | Until May 14, 2026 |
| Atlantic Cod (4TVn) | 241.27 t (including 95 t for bycatch) | Until May 14, 2026 |
| American Plaice (4T) | 95 t | Until May 14, 2026 |
| White hake (4T) | 30 t | Until May 14, 2026 |
It is to be noted that no directed commercial fishery is allowed for the four groundfish stocks listed above. The rebuilding plans for these four groundfish stocks in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO 4T and 4TVn) can be viewed at the following link: Integrated fisheries management plans.