Archived – Snow Crab Fishing Area N-ENS (formerly CFA 20-22)

Species and Area

Snow Crab Fishing Area N-ENS (formerly CFA 20-22), Eastern Cape Breton, Maritimes Region

Dates of season (subject to change)

Spring fishery - April 17 – May 16
Summer fishery – July 19 – August 29

Total Allowable Catches

576 t.

Management Measures

Trap limits

• Initial trap limit is 30 traps but for each full allocation transferred to a licence an additional 15 traps may be requested. This allows for a maximum of 60 traps.

Overruns

• Quota transfers may be used to cover overruns
• Overruns not handled by quota transfer, will have a quota reconciliation automatically applied by the Commercial Data Division at a 1:1 ratio prior to the start of the next season.

There will be an allowance for a voluntary return to the water of:

• Soft shell males
• Immature males (small/pencil clawed)
• Black males

Soft shell protocol (summer season)

• Representatives will be automatically notified daily by email or facsimile of areas of high incidence of soft shell (>20%).
• A latitude/longitude will be identified and fishers will voluntarily move from that location.
• At the 2009 N-ENS Advisory meeting, the soft shell protocol was further refined with seven grid areas introduced (see map). It was agreed that if there were two soft shell occurrences of more than 20% observed within two days in any grid area, the area would be closed by variation order.
• If all areas are closed traps must be landed but legal crab can be kept when landing traps.
• Individual fishers may obtain soft shell information by contacting DFO, their representatives or by providing DFO with an email address or facsimile number.

Bitter Crab Disease protocol

• As was agreed upon at the 2009 N-ENS Advisory meeting, fishers will note catches of crabs with BCD in the comment section of the logbook. DFO Science suggests that crab suspected of BCD be held in watertight containers since transmission of disease is unknown. .
• Dockside Monitors will verify for BCD, weigh out BCD crabs, and note weight in comments section before returning to fishers to dispose of on land.
• NO BCD crab can be removed from the vessel until verified by the DMP monitor.
• Additional restrictions will be considered if abuse of BCD protocol is suspected.

SARA

• The licence holder/operator is required to provide information regarding interactions with leatherback turtles while conducting fishing operations, in the SARA monitoring document available from DFO

CORE companies will inform DFO when a change to their membership occurs.

Vessel Operator

• CORE companies may identify any eligible fisher as vessel operator

Partnerships may be formed.

• The number of traps available will be 1 ½ of an individual licence

Links to other information

Facts on Canadian Species