Fisheries & Oceans Canada
Gulf, Quebec, Maritimes, Newfoundland & Labrador Regions
ice to Fish Harvesters
Gouvernement Government
du Canada of Canada
2010 TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCHES AND
NEW CONSERVATION MEASURES FOR
NON-COD GROUNDFISH IN THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE
Moncton, Québec City, Dartmouth, Corner Brook – May 27, 2010 - The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announces the total allowable catches (TACs) and new conservation measures for non-cod groundfish species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (3Pn, 4RST).
For the following fisheries, TACs remain unchanged for 2010: 4T American Plaice, 4RST Greenland Halibut, Redfish (Unit 1), 4T Winter Flounder, 4RST Witch Flounder and 4T Yellowtail Flounder.
The 4T White Hake fishery remains under moratorium in 2010.
The 4RST Atlantic Halibut TAC will be increased from 475 t to 600 t.
The following table is a summary of the 2010 TACs.
Stocks 2010 TACs
4T American Plaice 500 t
4RST Atlantic Halibut 600 t
4RST Greenland Halibut 4,500 t
Redfish – Unit 1 2,000 t
(index fishery)
4T White Hake moratorium
4T Winter Flounder 1,000 t
4RST Witch Flounder 1,000 t
4T Yellowtail Flounder
(directed fishery in Magdalen Islands)
300 t
The TAC increase for 4RST Atlantic Halibut is accompanied by a minimum legal size increase from 81 cm to 85 cm. The DFO-Industry working group that was created at this year's Gulf Groundfish Advisory Committee (GGAC) meeting in March will have an opportunity following the season to assess the impact of this increase in minimum size on industry catch rates and landed value, and provide direction for future years.
As was discussed at the GGAC, DFO will proceed with the implementation of a quota reconciliation program starting with the 2010-2011 season. As such, quota overruns incurred during the 2010-2011 season will be deducted by a factor of one-to-one on the following season's quotas. This measure will apply to individual quotas as well as fleet quotas.
