Comprehensive Review: Strengthening the Inshore Regulations

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Inshore Regulations. The Inshore Regulations (which can be found in Part III of the Atlantic Fishery Regulations, 1985 and the Part I.1 of the Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations) guide licensing in the Inshore sector in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

The Inshore Regulations are rules that clarify who can hold a licence, who must do the fishing, and who can make decisions about the fishing. They prohibit anyone other than the licence holder from using or controlling the rights and privileges that are granted to the licence holder.

The primary objective of the Inshore Regulations is to ensure that the licence holder is the true owner operator who makes the fishing decisions and receives the benefits of the licence, rather than third parties or corporations.

Now that the Inshore Regulations have been in effect for five years DFO is undertaking a comprehensive review, which includes a series of engagements. The comprehensive review is intended to help DFO hear from stakeholders how the regulations are working and develop potential options for the future.

Ongoing engagement

From July to September 2026, DFO will host a series of engagement sessions with inshore fish harvesters, fishery association representatives, and other industry participants across Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

The high level themes to be discussed include:

• Understanding use, control, and transfer
• Using money as a means to exert control
• Intergenerational transfers (passing on the business)
• Licence holder education and obligations

These meetings will be in-person but will also include a hybrid option, so participants can join online. Spaces within the venues will be limited to fifty (50) people, available on a first come first served basis. The engagement sessions are full-day events (9am to 4pm) and will be held at the following dates and locations:

• July 30, 2026 - St. John’s, NL; Venue: Sheraton Hotel
• August 18, 2026 - Halifax, NS; Venue: Sandman Signature Hotel
• August 20, 2026 - Saint John, NB; Venue: Saint John Trade and Convention Centre
• August 25, 2026 - Charlottetown, PEI; Venue: Holiday Inn Express
• *August 27, 2026 - Moncton, NB; Venue: Delta Beausejour
• *September 9, 2026 - Quebec City, QC; Venue: L’hotel Quebec

*these sessions will have simultaneous interpretation available.

Engagement materials: Strengthening the Inshore Regulations

1. Introduction
2. Understanding use, control, and transfer
3. Using money to control a licence
4. Intergenerational transfers
5. Licence holder education and obligations
6. Discussion paper - Strengthening the Inshore Regulations

Share your ideas online

If you are unable to attend in person, you can still have your voice heard by filling out the short online questionnaire.

The questionnaire will be available from July 6, 2026 to September 18, 2026.

Who is the focus of this engagement

The Government of Canada will engage with:

• Commercial fish harvesters in Atlantic Canada and Quebec
• Commercial fish harvester representative associations
• Broader commercial fishery sector industry participants

Key questions for discussion

The engagement sessions will be developed along the high level themes noted above. Participants will be invited to share their views, discuss a suite of ideas for where potential action may be taken, and/or offer other potential ideas for strengthening the Inshore Regulations:

• Understanding use, control, and transfer

  These concepts are central to the regime, but how they apply in practice is not always clear. While licence holders are required to fish personally and no one other than the licence holder can use or control a licence, understanding when and how an agreement results in a transfer can be a challenge.

  The objective will be to clarify these important concepts and seek participant views on:

  • What “use” of a licence looks like in practice
  • What “control” of a licence looks like in practice
  • Examples to show what “transfer” looks like in practice
  • Whether some types of clauses (terms and conditions of an agreement) that have been shown to lead to control should not be permitted

• Using money to control a licence

  Starting and running a fishing business is expensive. Many harvesters require loans, but loans can become a way for ineligible third parties to control a licence, both directly and indirectly. Certain conditions can undermine a licence holder’s independence, such as integrated loan and supply agreements, exclusivity clauses, and the use of guarantors or co-signers. It is important to find the right balance between access to money and harvester independence.

  The objective will be to better understand how licence holders have experienced control through lending agreements, and whether there are specific actions DFO can take to safeguard licence holder independence:

  • How DFO can support access to capital while safeguarding independence
  • Opportunities for licence holders to support each other in obtaining capital or sharing services
  • Whether some limitations should be placed on third party lending

• Intergenerational transfers (passing on the business)

  The inshore sector is aging and many licence holders are nearing retirement age. Passing on the business (also called intergenerational transfer or succession) is important to keep skills and renew the fleet. While there is a need to attract and retain young independent owner operators, it takes time to become a full owner operator. Challenges can be even more impactful for family fishing enterprises.

  The objective will be to understand:

  • The main barriers to passing on the business under the current rules
  • How DFO can better support new entrants
  • What is most important when developing options to support intergenerational transfers, including within families

• Licence holder education and obligations

  Being an owner operator is more than just fishing, it includes planning and managing the enterprise while being responsible for complying with all regulations and policies. Licence holders sometimes depend on advice from experts (such as accountants and lawyers), but accessing independent advice can be difficult. Concerns around experts who work for those with commercial interests while also representing licence holders have been highlighted, particularly given the potential for conflicts of interest.

  The objective will be to understand:

  • What tools/sources of information could help licence holders better understand what is required of them
  • How DFO can support licence holders in obtaining independent advice so conflicts of interest and risks of transfer of rights and privileges are reduced
  • How DFO should address conflicts of interest when an expert (accountant or lawyer) represents both the lender and the licence holder

Related information

• Inshore regulations

Contact us

DFO.IndependentFishers-PecheursIndependants.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
200 Kent Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E6