Tracadie, New Brunswick (NB) – April 18, 2024 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), is announcing the opening dates for the commercial Eel 2024 fishing season in Eastern New Brunswick (ENB). Fishing seasons for each water courses have been established in consultation with industry members and details can be found in Annex 1.
Other management measures in place
The following management measures remain in place for the 2024 fishing season.
Logbook: Logbooks are mandatory and must be completed as stipulated in the licence conditions. A weekly logbook is annexed to the eel licence. Licence holders are responsible to print copies expected to be necessary for the duration of the fishing season. Logbooks must be filled after each fishing trip and returned to the department no later than December 1st of each year by mail or by e-mail.
Fishing gear: Single fyke net and eel pots are the only authorized gear to fish eels. All gear used in the commercial eel fishery must be identified with the name of the licence holder and must have a valid tag that has been obtained by the licence holder from a supplier approved by DFO. In addition, each tag has to be listed on the Record of Fishing Gear Tags issued with the eel fishing licence. A licence holder who can show that he/she has fished with double fyke nets in the past will be authorized to continue to do so as a grandfather clause. However, this grandfather clause will terminate when the licence is reissued. In addition, licence holders authorized to use double fyke nets under the grandfather clause are required to respect the tagging requirement included in their licence conditions.
Leader: A maximum of one leader per fyke net may be used. The maximum leader length has been set at 31 meters. A maximum of two (2) wings having a length of no more than four (4) meters each may be used with each fyke net.
Minimum size: Eels of a length less than 53 cm must be immediately returned to the water.
Incidental catch: Licence holders are authorized to retain incidental catch of Green crab. All other species of fish incidentally caught shall be forthwith return to the water, to the place from which it was taken, and where it is alive, in a manner that causes it the least harm.
There is a freeze on the reissuance of eel licences authorizing the use of more than 35 fishing units. However, requests for reissuance where the licence recipient will not hold more than 35 fishing units after reissuance will be authorized.
Management measures for the recreational eel fishery
There is a maximum daily catch limit of ten eels for the recreational fishery.
The season opening dates and minimum size limits for the recreational eel fishery by spearing in the tidal waters of the Eastern New Brunswick Area are the following:
- in the tidal waters of Restigouche, Gloucester and Northumberland counties, that flow into the Northumberland Strait or the Gulf of St. Lawrence: May 15 to August 31 inclusively, with a minimum eel size of 53 cm and from December 1st to January 31 inclusively, with a minimum size of 1 cm.
- in the tidal waters of Kent and Westmorland counties, that flow into the Northumberland Strait or the Gulf of St. Lawrence: May 15 to August 31 inclusively, with a minimum size of 53 cm and from December 15 to February 15 inclusively, with a minimum size of 1 cm.
Annex 1: Opening dates for the Commercial Eel 2024 Fishing Season - Eastern New Brunswick Area
- Tidal waters of the Tabusintac River: Open season from 6:00 a.m. on July 20 to October 2 inclusively.
- Tidal waters of the Tabusintac Bay: Open season from 6:00 a.m. on May 6 to July 6 inclusively and from 6:00 a.m. on August 1 to October 17 inclusively.
- Tidal waters of the Pokemouche River: Open season from 6:00 a.m. on April 22 to June 30 inclusively and from 6:00 a.m. on August 1 to October 9 inclusively.
- Tidal waters of the counties of Restigouche, Gloucester (with the exception of the Pokemouche River), and Northumberland (with the exception of the Tabusintac River and Bay), that flow into the Gulf of St. Lawrence or into the Northumberland Strait: Open season from 6:00 a.m. on May 1 to June 30 inclusively and from 6:00 a.m. on August 1 to October 18 inclusively.
- Tidal waters of the Kent County, Province of New Brunswick, that flow into the Northumberland Strait: Open season from 6:00 a.m. on May 1 to July 12 inclusively and from 6:00 a.m. on August 26 to October 31 inclusively.
- Tidal waters of the Westmorland County, Province of New Brunswick, that flow into the Northumberland Strait: Open season from 6:00 a.m. on May 1 to June 30 inclusively and from 6:00 a.m. on August 8 to October 25 inclusively.