Snow Crab Fishing Area S-ENS (CFA 23 and 24) - Eastern Cape Breton, Maritimes Region

Species and Area

Snow Crab Fishing Area S-ENS (CFA 23 and 24) - Eastern Cape Breton, Maritimes Region

Dates of season (subject to change)

CFA 23 – April 2 – September 30
CFA 24 – April 2 – September 30

Total Allowable Catches (TAC)

CFA 23 – 6120 t.
CFA 24 – 5191 t.

Management Measures

  • Trap Limits
    • CFA 23 – 55 traps near shore; 75 traps outer areas
    • CFA 23 Partnerships – 80 traps near shore; 105 traps outer areas
    • CFA 24 – 60 traps all areas
    • CFA 24 Partnership – 90 traps all areas

  • Overruns
    • Quota transfers may be used to cover overruns.
    • Overruns not handled by quota transfer, will have 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
    • Representatives will be automatically notified daily by email or facsimile of areas of high incidence of soft shell (> 10%).
    • A latitude/longitude will be identified and fishers will voluntarily move 1.5nm miles from that location.
    • 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
    • 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 within 15 days when a change to their membership occurs.