Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

FYI – Just a note on the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) closure grids and the PEI commercial halibut fishery. Attached is the official DFO Notice on the most recent closures. The black boxes are closed until November, the red are temporary closures (15 days) and green stripes mean they will be re-opening.

HOW DOES THIS IMPACT THE PEI HALIBUT FISHERY? The PEI halibut fishery use longline gear and it is considered ‘tended’ meaning you are close to your lines. In the DFO Notice it states: ‘Closures will also be in effect for Atlantic halibut (fixed gear) when gear is left unattended’. This means that PEI fishers fishing in the black or red boxes (meaning NARW closed grids) cannot leave their lines unattended, therefore can’t leave them overnight without supervising them. They are allowed to fish halibut in these areas as long as they are ‘tending’ their lines.

If you have any further questions, you can contact DFO directly or your local fisheries officer for more info. The latest grid closures and re-openings are posted to the DFO website: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/commercial-commerciale/atl-arc/narw-bnan/index-eng.html