Conservation Harvesting Plan - Snow Crab Zone 16a Temporary Allocations - Season 2011
Sept-Iles, March 31 2011
Species and Area
Snow crab, area 16A (Northeast of Anticosti Island) – Quebec Region
Area 16A is allowed to the 43 Quebec fish harvesters holding a snow crab fishing license in Area 13. This allocation has as its objective to help core fish harvesters who belong to fleets in difficulty. It is not a permanent alternative to a guaranteed annual income.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be a member of the core group;
- To hold a snow crab license from Quebec in area 13;
- To not hold or have held a regular permit of shrimp since 1995.
Dates of season (subject to change)
The fishing will begin on April 11th 2011 at 05h00 and will close on July 17th 2011 at 24h00.
Industry and DFO representatives will form an Ice Committee responsible for confirming this date. The opening date may be changed as a result of ice conditions preventing access to fishing grounds or presenting potential hazards to the Fleet.
There will be no extensions of the season for other than exceptional circumstances out of the control of the industry or the DFO (ex. late ice).
Total Allowable Catches (TAC)
The global allocation for 2011 is established at 425.5 tons, which is the status quo with last year.
As announced at the last advisory meeting of snow crab area 16A, the department will proceed with the application of quota reconciliation starting this season. Therefore, all individual quota overrun by a licence holder during the 2011 season will be deducted from his 2012 individual quota on a one-for-one basis. It is of the responsibility of the licence holder to respect the allocation he/she is granted (QIT and QI) while taking into consideration his transfers and landings and taking the necessary arrangements before departing for a fishing expedition to have the necessary quota to cover its presumed harvest.
Management Measures
85 standards traps or 170 Japanese traps;
Dockside monitoring for 100 % of landings;
At-sea observers’ coverage of 10% at the expense of the industry;
Hail out is mandatory in 2011;
Closure of the fishery as soon as the percentage of white crab in catches exceeds 20%;
Maximum of 22 boats authorized to fish at the same time in area 16A;
The discarding of white crab and adolescent crab is permitted this year, as stipulated on licence conditions;
In order to diminish operation costs, allocations transfers and buddying-up (maximum of 2 fish harvesters) will be authorized. To take advantage of one of these two options, fish harvesters have to get the forms at the DFO's Sept-Iles office;
Fish harvesters involved in a partnership agreement are authorized to use 170 standards size traps or 340 Japanese traps. Landings will be accounted for according to the prorata of the individual quotas of the two fish harvesters involved in a partnership agreement;
The allocation of 425.5 tons will be managed by the DFO;
The DFO is in charge of identifying and maintaining up to date the list of beneficiaries of crab allocations.
Species at Risk Act
Pursuant to the Species at Risk Act (SARA), no person shall kill, harm, harass, capture, take, possess, collect, buy, sell or trade an individual or any part or derivate of a wildlife species designated as extirpated, endangered or threatened.
At the time this Management Plan is promulgated, the Atlantic species targeted by these measures are the following ones : Spotted wolffish, Northern wolffish, Leatherback Turtle and Atlantic Walrus (Northwest Atlantic population). New species could be added to the SARA within the year.
All by-catches of species identified above must be returned to the water and released in the exact capture location and, if the specimen is still alive, with as little harm as possible. In addition, fish harvesters must complete the SARA logbook.
Licence Conditions
Licence conditions may be obtained by contacting any of our Area Offices. Licence conditions are normally issued within two or three working days. Fish harvesters will have to make formal agreements with the dockside monitoring and at-sea observers companies before contacting the DFO for the licence’s issue.
For additional information
Jean Morisset
Acting Chief, Resource Management, Aboriginal Fisheries and Species at Risk
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
North Coast Area
418 962-6314
Clément Beaudoin
Acting Area Chief, Conservation and Protection
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
North Coast Area
418 962-6314
Links to other information
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