Status Quo for Atlantic Halibut TAC
While the total allowable catch (TAC) remains unchanged for Atlantic halibut in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO area 4RST) for the 2022/23 season, the TAC for Greenland halibut has increased by 19 per cent.
A TAC of 2,400 tonnes has been established for 4RST Greenland halibut, up from 2,025 tonnes for a one-year period starting May 15, while the Atlantic halibut TAC has been set at 1,716 tonnes.
The increase in Greenland halibut quota “is consistent with the precautionary approach ...
Fishery Squabble has Industry Players Seeing Red
Dispute Growing Over Allocation of Unit 1 Redfish
It was inevitable that the interest in the growing redfish stock in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and portions of the Cabot Strait would continue to increase.
It was also inevitable that competing groups for the potentially lucrative fishery would start drawing proverbial lines in the sand.
Over the last few years, many facets of the Atlantic Canadian fishing industry have been quietly whispering and speculating on the growing redfish popula...
Ghost Gear Fund Draws 13 Proposals for Work in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A second call for proposals under the federal government’s Sustainable Fisheries Solutions and Retrieval Support Contribution Fund (Ghost Gear Fund) has attracted a total of 31 applications, including 13 proposals for work in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Eleven of the Gulf of St. Lawrence proposals focus on disposal and recycling of end-of-life fishing gear.
“The projects are currently being evaluated, and information on the successful projects will be made available in the coming ...
Tracking Whales With Sound
This Could Be a Promising Innovation, Provided it is Used Properly
The presence of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence comes with major challenges: understanding where these whales are found, how many there are and what they do.
Several techniques exist to obtain answers to these questions, including observation from vessel and aerial surveys, tagging and even drones. Another major category of solutions lies in acoustic devices, whether they are underwater ...
Redfish Biomass in Gulf Unprecedented
The biomass of the two redfish species combined accounted for 90 per cent of the total biomass of all captured organisms in the 2019 research survey conducted by federal fisheries scientists in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
“This relative biomass of redfish is unprecedented and could have important ecological impacts on other species,” reads the latest DFO stock assessment on redfish species sebastes mentella and sebastes fasciatus.
By comparison, the biomass of the ...
Outlook Bleak for Southern Gulf Spring Herring Stock
The outlook is bleak for the spring spawning herring stock in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, with the most recent stock assessment projecting it could be close to extinction in 10 years.
“In the projections it doesn’t reach zero but goes pretty close to zero,” said Francois Turcotte, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) marine biologist based in Moncton, N.B.
There is “a lot of uncertainty” around the projection which is based on the declining biomass, said Turcotte. ...
Redfish Rebound Continuing in The Gulf
Unit 1 Stock up 20 Per Cent in One Year
Redfish are making a comeback in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with estimates the stock has reached three million tonnes in Unit 1, an increase of 20 per cent in one year.
“It’s a very impressive situation. It’s not something we see often,” said DFO biologist Caroline Senay. “It’s maybe not a good story for Northern shrimp, but overall you cannot be unhappy a fish that was almost gone is coming back.”
Under moratorium since the 1990s, ...
Immediate Action Needed to Save Whales
We are devastated at the loss of now six right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
It was one, then two, then four, five and now six. It has left our team and our allies sickened and heartbroken. It has left us angry and wanting to take emergency action.
Of the six precious whales now confirmed dead, I will tell you about two briefly.
Whales such as the matriarch Punctuation, who birthed eight calves and was responsible for multiple grandchildren after that and the newly mature male ...
Experimental Redfish Fishery Brings Hope to Gulf of St. Lawrence Harvesters
Along with other species of groundfish, redfish is a species that is making its comeback in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Redfish is a lesser known species, but it meant a lot to our communities in the 80s and 90s for fishermen and plant workers alike. It’s also a promising opportunity for fish harvesters like myself who have been badly impacted by the declines in the Northern shrimp fishery.
It was the good signs of recruitment that led me to reach out to the FFAW with an idea to prepare ...
Federal Government Unveils Plan for Protecting Right Whales
Last year, an unprecedented number of right whales died in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
To protect these whales from further harm, the Government of Canada put urgent measures in place, which included shutting down the snow crab fishery in the area to minimize gear entanglements, increasing surveillance, and implementing a slowdown on large vessels to avoid collisions. Today, Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, ...
