Sea Urchin, Fishing Areas 9, 10 and 11 - 2012 Season

Species and region

Sea Urchin– fishing areas 9, 10 and 11 - Quebec Region

Fishing area 9:
From Pointe-au-Pic to Pointe-des-Monts inclusive. This area includes sub-area 9-1 and is accessible to licence holders in its entirety, except for the restrictions stated in this management plan.

Sub-area 9-1 (area at the mouth of the Saguenay):
In this document, the term “sub-area 9-1” refers to the sub-area, encompassing Batture aux Alouettes, Baie Sainte-Catherine and Batture de Pointe-aux-vaches. Consult the latitude and longitude coordinates set out in the licence conditions.

Fishing area 10:
From east of Pointe-des Monts to west of the Sheldrake River bridge.

Fishing area 11:
From east of Sheldrake River bridge to Pointe-de-Natashquan inclusive.

Dates of Season (subject to change)

Area 9 and sub-area 9-1: March 26th to December 31st
Area 10: April 1st to December 31st
Area 11: April 1st to December 31st

Management Measures

Number of Licences:
Area 9: 2 exploratory licences (non-transferable) and 5 permanent licences with exclusive access to sub-area 9-1.
Area 10: 10 exploratory licences (non-transferable)
Area 11: 10 exploratory licences (non-transferable)

Minimum catch size:

50 mm wide (excluding the spines)

Management Measures for sub-area 9-1:

The number of fishing days in sub-area 9-1 is 80 days.
Two groups of licence holders: group A and group B.

Group A includes the following fishermen:
Alain Boucher
Jacques Morneau
Daniel Yockell

Group A includes the following fishermen:
C.B de Pessamit
C.B. de Essipit

Division of fishing days between the two groups:

67% of the fishing days will be allocated to Group A, i.e. 22.33% or 18 fishing days per licence holder, including two half-days of fishing.

33% of the fishing days will be allocated to Group B, i.e. 16.5% or 13 fishing days per licence holder, including two half-days of fishing.

Fishing day and fishing half-day:

Fishing day: a fishing day (at sea) is equal to a period of more than 5 hours and a maximum of 12 hours as specified on the licence conditions. The time at sea is considered as the time between the departure from the dock and its return. Only one landing per fishing day will be authorized. Any additional landing will be considered as a fishing day.

Fishing half-day: A fishing half-day (at sea) is a maximum of 5 hours of fishing and a maximum of 1400 kg of catch. When these two conditions are met, the fisherman should inform the Sept-Îles DFO office in order to register a half-day of Urchin fishing.

The fishing half-day concept was introduced to take into account difficult weather conditions, mechanical breakdowns, or divers’ health problems that may affect Urchin fishing. A fisherman can use a fishing half-day only for these reasons. A maximum of two fishing half-days will be authorized.

Temporary transfers

For 2011 to 2015, holders of group B licence will be allowed to transfer 100% of their fishing days to group A licence holders while respecting a maximum of 50 % per group A licence holder.

Vessel monitoring system (VMS):

The VMS (black box) is mandatory.

Hailing:

Hailing will be mandatory, as set out in the licence conditions.

Fishing method:

Diving fishery: A maximum of four divers per vessel at any time, i.e. three diving and one waiting aboard.

Fishing traps: 100 legal whelk traps, fitted with 4 circular vents measuring 44.45 mm in diameter and located not more than 25.24 mm from the bottom frame, with a maximum external volume not exceeding 0.3 cubic metres (10.6 cubic feet) or whose trap net is of a mesh size of at least 102 mm fitted on a square frame. The use of traps is prohibited within the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park.

Restriction:

The use of traps is prohibited:

Area 9: The use of traps is prohibited from April 1st to September 23rd.
Area 10: The use of traps is prohibited from April 11th to November 14th;
Area 11: The use of traps is prohibited from April 11th to October 10th.

Tagging:

Every trap must bear a valid tag, which the fisherman must obtain from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).

Log book:

The log book is mandatory.

Participation Requirement:

Area 9: an annual participation requirement of 13 608 kg could be applied for exploratory licence renewal. The catches must be registered with DFO before December 31st of the current year by a DFO-registered buyer.

Areas 10 and 11: an annual participation requirement of 227 kg could be applied for exploratory licence renewal. The catches must be registered with DFO before December 31st of the current year by a DFO-registered buyer.

Vessel leasing:

Renting vessels from outside the North Shore is prohibited.

Bycatches:

No bycatch may be kept.

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 Gulf of St.-Lawrence and the Atlantic species targeted by these measures are the following ones : Spotted wolffish, Northern wolffish, Leatherback Turtle and Striped Bass (St. Lawrence Estuary population). New species could be added in the course of 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 fish is still alive, with as little harm as possible. In addition, information regarding interactions with species at risk must be recorded in the Species at risk section of the logbook.

Licence Conditions

For obtaining licence conditions, please contact our sector offices. Two working days are required to issue a licence condition.

Approved by:

Martin St-Gelais
Area Director
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
North Coast

For additional information

Jean Morisset
Chief, Resource Management, Aboriginal Fisheries and Species at Risk
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
North Shore Area
418 962-6314

Andrew Rowsell
Area Head, Conservation and Protection
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
North Shore Area
418 962-6314

Hyperlinks leading to more information

Published management plans: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/decisions/fm-2012-gp/index-atl-eng.htm