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Proactive Disclosure

Proactive Disclosure

Archived – Snow Crab – Area 17 in the St. Lawrence Estuary

Archived Content

Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats on the "Contact Us" page.

Species and Area

Snow Crab Fishing Area 17 is located in the St. Lawrence Estuary.

Dates of season (subject to change)

The fishing season opens on March 30, 2010, at 5:00 a.m. and closes on June 21, 2010, at midnight. The opening will depend on the ice cover in the estuary.

Total Allowable Catches (TAC) and sharing arrangements (if applicable)

Area 17 is fished by 16 traditional snow crab licence holders and 3 First Nations sharing 6 licences. In addition, a maximum of 38 fishers may be eligible for temporary individual allocations in 2010 in light of the new access, which has been permanent since 2009. The total allowable catches (TAC) for 2010 are set at 1,430 tonnes, the same TAC as last year.

A permanent sharing formula has been in place in Area 17 since 2009. According to the formula, 12% of the TAC will be allocated to fishers other than the regular licence holders.

In 2010, the 22 regular licence holders will be allocated 1,258.4 tonnes under their individual quotas, while the fishers eligible for the new permanent access will be allocated 171.6 tonnes.

Management measures applicable to regular licence holders

100% dockside monitoring and 5 to 15% at-sea observer coverage, depending on local variation
Maximum of 85 standard traps or 170 Japanese traps for regular fishers

Management measures applicable to new access fishers

100% dockside monitoring and 5 to 15% at-sea observer coverage, depending on local variation
The following deployment plan will be in effect:
- No more than 34 vessels authorized to fish simultaneously in Area 17 (22 regular licence holders and 12 individual allocation holders)
- Once a traditional or allocation fisher reaches his or her limit, he or she is replaced by the next fisher on the pre-determined list
- Maximum of 50 standard traps or 100 Japanese traps

DFO would like to remind fishers receiving quota allocations from the fixed-gear groundfish fleet and the pelagic fleet that a minimum of $20,000 of their income must come from fishing activities other than those related to snow crab fishing or sealing in 2010 if they wish to remain eligible for allocations in 2011.

Species at risk

According to the Species at Risk Act (SARA), it is prohibited to kill, harm, harass, capture, take, possess, collect, buy, sell or trade an individual of a wildlife species that is listed as an extirpated species, an endangered species or a threatened species, or any part of such an individual.

When this management plan was published, the following species present in the Atlantic Ocean were subject to those measures: spotted wolffish (threatened); northern wolffish (threatened) and leatherback sea turtle (endangered). Other species may be added to the list during the year.

All bycatches of the above-mentioned species must be returned to the place from which they were taken and, where they are still alive, in a manner that causes them the least harm.