Above: David Greening photo
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recently announced that it will increase existing vessel length limits for Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore fishing boats to provide more consistency in all Atlantic Canada regions.
Specifically, the existing vessel length requirement for inshore sub-fleets, currently restricted to the less than 39’11” length in overall measurement, will increase to 49’11”.
DFO said the announcement will bring greater alignment to vessel length limits across Atlantic Canada, providing harvesters with additional flexibility when choosing a vessel.
“Specifically, it will allow harvesters to choose the vessel that best suits their activities and will help mitigate potentially dangerous modifications. These changes will come into effect for the 2023 fishing season.”
In addition, DFO said it will launch engagements this fall with stakeholders, including licence holders, First Nations, industry associations and other government departments across Atlantic Canada and Québec, to gather feedback on the Department’s inshore vessel policies, including all registration rules currently in place across Atlantic Canada and Québec. These engagements will begin after the fishing seasons end in each region. The Department will be contacting harvesters with further details on plans for these engagements.
“This announcement to increase existing vessel length limits for Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore sub fleets provides more predictability for Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore fishers, who form the backbone of their local economies. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will continue to consult widely to eliminate unnecessary barriers. I want to thank MP Ken McDonald for his continued advocacy on behalf of fish harvesters,” said Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
The announcement was well-received by the industry.
The Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) welcomed the decision by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to increase the maximum length of inshore fishing vessels in the province’s inshore fleet to 49’11”, bringing them in line with the Maritimes.
“The days of chopping off boats are over. This is a massive victory for inshore harvesters in what is now the under 40-foot fleet,” says Jason Sullivan, President of SEA-NL and a Bay Bulls-based inshore owner-operator.
“We have fought DFO in this province and the FFAW for years to be treated the same as the rest of Atlantic Canada in terms of vessel length and today we finally have a victory that puts the safety and lives of inshore harvesters first.”
Earlier this year, DFO held a string of virtual outreach meetings around the province to hear directly from inshore harvesters about issues impacting their fleets, with the question of fishing-vessel length front and centre on the agenda. The vast majority of owner-operators spoke in favour of extending the maximum length of inshore boats to 49’11” from 39’11” to fall in line with inshore fleets in the rest of Atlantic Canada. Vessel lengths range from less than 50-feet in DFO’s Maritime and Québec regions to less than 45-feet in the Gulf region.
“Owner-operators in this province who purchase used, over 40-foot fishing vessels from elsewhere in Atlantic Canada have been forced to cut them in length at huge expense, often giving the vessels an ugly snub-nose appearance and making them square to the water. The practice doesn’t impact a vessel’s carrying capacity and often raises stability questions,” SEA-NL explained.
Owner-operators said their number one reason for wanting the change is safety at sea in light of changing climatic conditions.
“This is all about safety and increasing vessel length will ensure that harvesters are safer on the water,” said Merv Wiseman, an outspoken advocate for fishing-vessel safety and member of SEA-NL’s executive board.
“We know the FFAW will be disappointed with the decision since they worked for decades to prevent it from happening.”
DFO explained that vessel policies are assessed against a variety of considerations, including: impacts to safety, conservation objectives, harvesting capacity, increasing consistency among fleets and regions and key operational considerations such as impacts on small craft harbours.
DFO uses vessel length restrictions to establish different rules for various sectors and fleets. Fishing sectors in DFO’s Québec (QC), Maritimes (MAR), Gulf (GLF) and Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) regions are divided into three general categories based on the size of the vessel: inshore (vessels less than 65 feet), mid-shore (vessels 65 feet and greater, but less than 100 feet) and offshore (vessels of 100 feet or greater).
The small boat fishing sector in Newfoundland and Labrador has been defined by a maximum length of 39’11” since 2007 when it increased from 34’11”.
Vessel registration rules require a licence holder to register an eligible vessel that will be used for a particular licence, or suite of licences. The Vessel Registration Policy is intended to reinforce the guiding principle of owner-operator, specifically that the individual who is issued the licence is the same individual on the boat fishing it.
In the Maritimes and Québec DFO Regions, once a vessel is registered with a licence, that registration must be in place for at least 30 days before a different vessel can be registered to that licence.
In the Newfoundland and Labrador Region, once a vessel is registered with a licence, that registration must be in place for twelve (12) months.
Transport Canada (TC) is responsible, under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, for regulations and enforcement related to the safety of all vessels and marine personnel. TC’s priority is to help reduce deaths and injuries as well as loss or damage to commercial fishing vessels. Stability and lifesaving appliances are among the top safety issues in the fishing industry.
TC is now advancing the second phase of changes to the new Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations which came into force in 2017. These new regulations include new requirements to reflect industry best practice and new technology which can further enhance safety on the water. Vessel registration with TC is a legislative requirement for vessel safety proposes.
DFO is responsible for safety at sea in areas of fisheries management regulations, policies, plans and processes, in accordance to the Fisheries Act and associated regulations. Fisheries resource management actively promotes and supports fishing safety awareness, education and collaboration with our partners in the many areas that contribute to fishing safety. Vessel registration with DFO is a legislative requirement for fishing authorization.
