NOTICE TO FISH HARVESTERS

DFO advises fish harvesters that the opening date for the commercial eel fishery in inland waters using eel pots is July 1, 2026.

The season will open to fyke nets on August 15, 2026.

The eel fishery for all gear types will close on October 31, 2026.

Fish harvesters are reminded that closures due to environmental conditions on scheduled salmon rivers will result in closure of the eel fishery on these rivers. During the closures, fish harvesters will be permitted to leave the fyke nets in the rivers. However, the bag on the end of the net must be removed to permit the escapement of salmonids and eels.

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

DFO advises that the Herring fixed gear fishery (trap, gillnet, bar seine - including modified bar seine known as "tuck seine") in all of Herring Fishing Area 13 will close at 1200 hours June 17, 2026.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region gives notice that Variation Order 2026-081 has been revoked, and Variation Order 2026-082 comes into effect at 1700 hours on June 16, 2026.

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

DFO reminds harvesters that the Herring fixed gear fishery (gillnet, trap, bar seine, including tuck seine) in portions of Herring Fishing Area 14 (Cape St. Gregory to Cape Bauld) will close at 2000 hours June 16, 2026 and will re-open on August 1, 2026 at 0001 hours.

The portions of Herring Fishing Area 14 that will be closed are:
-    Ingornachoix Bay and Hawkes Bay, inside a straight line drawn from Spirity Point to the French shore site.
-    Castor's Harbour, inside a straight line drawn from Castor Point to Long Point.
-    Ste. Geneveive Bay and St. Barbe Bay inside a straight line drawn from Cape Ste. Geneveive to Anchor Point.
-    The area inside a straight line drawn from The Arches to Cliffy Point, and the area within one nautical mile seaward of that line.
-    Bonne Bay inside a straight line drawn from Western Head to Lobster Cove Point.

These closures are for the protection of migrating salmon.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region gives notice that Variation Order 2026-081 has been revoked, and Variation Order 2026-082 comes into effect at 1700 hours on June 16, 2026.

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

DFO reminds harvesters that herring fisheries in Herring Fishing Areas (HFAs) 13 and 14 for fixed gear (trap and tuck seines) are open.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region gives notice that Variation Order 2026-072 has been revoked, and Variation Order 2026-081 comes into effect at 1800 hours on June 15, 2026.

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

Following the recent announcement of the management plan for the commercial redfish fishery in Unit 1 for the 2026-27 fishing season, DFO advises that Conditions of Licence are now available on the National Online Licensing System (NOLS) for the inshore Newfoundland and Labrador mobile gear fleet.

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

DFO advises that the management approach for 2J3KL (Northern) cod for the 2026-27 season has been announced. Further details can be found online at the following website: 

Decisions for Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the Arctic - 2026

DFO advises that the details of the 2026 management measures for the 2J3KLPs Capelin fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador are now available at:

Capelin in NAFO Divisions 2J3KLPs 2026

Pêche du capelan dans les divisions 2J et 3KL et la sous-division 3Ps de l’OPANO 2026

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

DFO advises that the details of the 2026 management measures for the 2J3KLPs Capelin fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador are now available at:

Capelin in NAFO Divisions 2J3KLPs 2026

Pêche du capelan dans les divisions 2J et 3KL et la sous-division 3Ps de l’OPANO 2026

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

DFO advises that the Snow Crab fishery will open at 0600 hours on June 18, 2026 for NAFO divisions 2HJ North of 54 40. This fishery will close at 1800 hours on August 31, 2026.

Fish Harvesters are also reminded that all designations to participate in this fishery are issued by the Nunatsiavut Government and Torngat Fisheries Cooperative Limited and must be in place prior to participating.

Fish harvesters are reminded that they are not authorized to set Crab traps until 72 hours after the Snow Crab fishery season has opened. Therefore, any setting of Crab traps or possession of Crab before 0600 hours on June 21, 2026, is prohibited.

Licence fees and licence conditions are available through the National Online Licensing System (NOLS).

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region gives notice that Variation Order 2026-057 has been revoked and Variation Order 2026-080 will come into force on June 12, 2026.

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

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

As of April 8, 2026, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been accepting Catch Certificate Signatory Requests through the National Online Licensing System (NOLS). The amended European Union (EU) Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) regulations, which came into force on January 10, 2026, require that certain fish and seafood products imported into the EU be accompanied by a catch certificate signed by the licence holder or vessel master—or by their duly authorized representative.

The EU requirement for a licence holder or vessel master to verify and sign the catch information on each catch certificate is intended to ensure that the information has been confirmed at its source by the harvester. In Canada, however, harvesters do not typically use the Fisheries Certificate System (FCS), which is designed as a traceability tool to support export certification. Because Canadian catch certificates for the EU are issued at the point of export, it is generally not feasible for all licence holders to sign each certificate prior to shipment—particularly during busy fishing seasons.
 
To address this, licence holders must formally authorize the applicant manager of the company that buys their catches, to sign catch certificates on their behalf. Applicant managers must be duly authorized by the licence holder to enter catch reports into catch certificate applications based on information they receive from the licence holder, and then to sign-off on these catch reports confirming that the information is a true representation of the licence holder’s catches. Foreign officials will only accept catch certificates if the signature appearing next to a licence holder’s catch report is the signature of the individual authorized to sign on their behalf.  

When a fisher authorizes an applicant manager from a buyer company, the authorization applies only to the act of signing the catch certificate. It does not grant any additional authority, permissions, or decision making rights to the applicant manager.