Entries

In Atlantic Canada and Quebec, inshore and coastal licence holders must personally fish the licence issued in their name. Under the regulations, however, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) can authorize an exception to the owner-operator requirement to personally fish, allowing the Department to authorize substitute operators in certain circumstances. These circumstances include when a commercial licence holder cannot fish due to medical reasons or other “circumstances beyond their control”. The Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for Eastern Canada limits substitute operators for medical reasons to a maximum of five years.

On December 5, 2024, the Minister announced new Maternity and Parental leave categories for substitute operator in Eastern Canada. These new categories respond to feedback collected from stakeholder engagements and aim to incentivize the next generation of harvesters to join the fishing industry and provide more flexibility to those with new families.

The new Maternity and Parental leave categories for substitute operator will allow a pregnant eligible coastal or inshore licence holder, or an eligible coastal or inshore licence holder who became a new parent by birth or adoption, to designate a substitute operator to operate a licence or licences on their behalf while they care for the child.

Other important information:

• Eligible licence holders have access to Maternity or Parental leave without limit on the number of occurrences. Supporting documentation is required with each request.

• Maternity leave is available up to a maximum of 119 calendar days (17 weeks) after the date of birth or the anticipated due date.

• For safety reasons, a pregnant licence holder may request a substitute operator for Maternity leave at any time during the pregnancy once they have been confirmed to be pregnant. The use of Maternity leave prior to the birth of a child due to safety reasons will not be deducted from the 17 weeks that is available following the birth of a child.

• Parental leave is available up to a maximum of 245 calendar days (35 weeks) from the date of birth or adoption.

• A licence holder who makes use of maternity leave may be eligible for parental leave.

• While licence holders have a maximum of five years of medical substitute operator authorizations over their career, the Maternity and Parental categories in substitute operator will not be counted towards the five-year maximum.

• Unlike employment insurance, the Maternity and Parental leave within the substitute operator policy do not provide financial benefits based on insurable employment or include benefit sharing requirements

Requests will be accepted starting January 1, 2025, using the same regional process used when requesting a substitute operator.

For more details, you can contact your local DFO office or go to DFO’s website.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

DFO advises that the Greenland Halibut (turbot) fixed gear fishery in NAFO Division 4RST, in all water depths will close for vessels less than 65 feet based in NAFO Divisions 4R at 2000 hours on Sunday, December 15, 2024.

DFO reminds harvesters that all gear must be removed from the water by closing time.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region gives notice that Variation Order 2024-284 has been revoked and Variation Order 2024-306 comes into effect on December 12, 2024.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) advises the public of the re-opening for the harvesting of all bivalve shellfish including Arctic wedge calms, Atlantic razor clams, Atlantic surf clams, bay quahaugs, northern propeller clams, ocean quahaugs, softshell clam, Stimpson's surf clams, bay mussels, blue mussel, horse mussels, American oysters, bay scallops, Iceland scallops, purple hinge rock scallop, (except sea scallops), northern moon snails, waved whelks, and Stimpson's whelks for recreational or commercial purposes, if open and authorized to fish, in the following areas effective 1600 hours on December 9, 2024:

From Grey River Point (at Lat 47.57206, Long -57.11779), to a point near Dry Ridge (at Lat 46.79148, Long -53.65891).

More detailed information on these closed areas can be obtained from the nearest DFO office or the following website:  CheckBeforeYouHarvest

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region gives notice that Prohibition Order NSN-2024-003 has been repealed effective 1600 hours on December 9, 2024.

For more information on the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program please consult the following website: Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP)

DFO advises that the mobile gear herring (purse seine) fishery for Trinity Bay (Herring Fishing Area 6) will close at 1500 hours on Monday, December 9, 2024.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Regions gives notice that Variation Order 2024-303 has been revoked and Variation Order 2024-305 comes into effect at 1300 hours on December 9, 2024.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans would like to remind that in-person Outreach meetings will be held throughout the Region in the coming weeks.

The intent of these meetings is to provide inshore harvesters and other interested stakeholders an opportunity to discuss matters of concern with respect to the various inshore fisheries.

The meeting schedule is as follows:

Monday, December 9, 2024 - Greenspond, Greenspond Firehall: 3:00-5:00pm

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - Fogo, Anglican Church Hall (Centre Island): 10:00am-12:00pm

A meeting for St. Anthony and Roddickton Areas will be scheduled at a later date.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

DFO advises that the Fixed Gear (Bar/Tuck Seine) Herring fishery will close on Friday, December 6, 2024 at 1300 hours in Notre Dame Bay (Herring Fishing Area 4).

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Regions gives notice that Variation Order 2024-301 has been revoked and Variation Order 2024-304 comes into effect at 1200 hours on December 6, 2024.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

DFO advises that the mobile gear herring (purse seine) fishery for Bonavista Bay (Herring Fishing Area 5) will close at 2000 hours on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Regions gives notice that Variation Order 2024-302 has been revoked and Variation Order 2024-303 comes into effect at 1800 hours on December 4, 2024.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

DFO advises that the mobile gear herring (purse seine) fishery for Notre Dame Bay (Herring Fishing Area 4) will close at 1400 hours on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Regions gives notice that Variation Order 2024-299 has been revoked and Variation Order 2024-302 comes into effect at 1300 hours on November 27, 2024.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

DFO advises that the Fixed Gear (Bar/Tuck Seine) Herring fishery will open on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 at 0600 hours in Conception Bay and the Southern Shore (Herring Fishing Areas 7 and 8).

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Regions gives notice that Variation Order 2024-291 has been revoked and Variation Order 2024-301 comes into effect on November 27, 2024.

"Notices to Fish Harvesters" for all commercial fisheries are now available online under the Fishery Notices link on the DFO NL Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region

If you would like to have all "Notices to Fish Harvesters" for commercial fisheries sent directly to you by email please contact: miranda.pryor@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) advises the public of the closure for the harvesting of all bivalve shellfish including Arctic wedge clams, Atlantic razor clams, Atlantic surf clams, bay quahaugs, northern propeller clams, ocean quahaugs, softshell clam, Stimpson's surf clams, bay mussels, blue mussel, horse mussels, American oysters, bay scallops, Iceland scallops, purple hinge rock scallop, (except sea scallops), northern moon snails, waved whelks, and Stimpson's whelks for recreational or commercial purposes in the following areas effective 1200 hours on November 22, 2024:

Those coastal waters from Davis Point (at Lat 48.27304 Long -53.41197), northwest to Cape Freels at (Lat 49.25544 Long -53.46442).

As a result, there is reason to believe that the sanitary conditions of the adjacent marine waters may have degraded to the point where accepted water quality standards have been exceeded and the contamination of the water would likely pose a risk to public health if shellfish in the affected area were harvested for consumption.

More detailed information on these closed areas can be obtained from the nearest DFO office or the following website:

Check Before you Harvest

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region gives notice that Prohibition Order NSN-2024-004 comes into effect at 1200 hours on November 22, 2024.

In accordance with Appendix VIII of the CSSP Manual of Operations, these areas must remain closed for a minimum of seven days. There will be a Public Notice when the closure is lifted.

For more information on the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program please consult the following website: Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP)