Fisheries and Oceans Canada

REBUILDING KEY FORAGE FISH STOCKS FOR HEALTHIER EAST COAST FISHERIES

On March 30, 2022, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, announced there would be no directed commercial or bait fishing for southern Gulf spring herring and a closure of the Atlantic mackerel commercial and bait fisheries in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

In connection with this announcement, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) would like to remind the industry, and in particular, current and potential southern Gulf spring herring and Atlantic mackerel inshore licences holders, that it is their responsibility to take into consideration the closures and any impact these might have in their fishing activities and on all requests made to DFO.  It is also the industry’s responsibility to inform all third parties involved in their  fishing activities that could be impacted by this decision.  

Fishers are also reminded that as a result of decisions made under the authority of the Fisheries Act,  licences may not be issued or fisheries may be closed from time to time for conservation reasons. In these circumstances, fishers must assume the risk associated with business decisions such as licence reissuance requests.

Given the closure in place in the Atlantic mackerel fishery, fish harvesters holding licences that are only for commercial or bait Atlantic mackerel fishing are not required to renew their licenses to maintain eligibility as long as the fishery remains closed for conservation reasons, as provided by the current commercial fisheries licensing policy for eastern Canada.

For southern Gulf spring herring, licences will require renewal to access the fall fishery as both species are accessible through the same licence. 

We would also like to take this opportunity to highlight that DFO will take the necessary steps and notify affected licence holders about any refund to which they may be entitled.

For more information, you can contact one of DFO’s regional licensing offices.