Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Notice to Fish Harvesters

September 17, 2019 EKME:

4094063

EXTENSION - 2019 Prince Edward Island Atlantic Halibut Fishery Charlottetown, PE – The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Gulf Region, today announces an extension of the fourth opening scheduled for September 16 th, 17th and 18th. The season will be extended until 4 p.m. on September 20th, 2019. Fishing will be authorized for Prince Edward Island (PEI) groundfish fixed gear fleet, with vessels less than 13.716 metres (45 feet) in overall length that have registered to fish Atlantic Halibut in 2019.

INDIVIDUAL ALLOCATION: The Atlantic halibut allocation for the PEI fixed gear fleet in 2019 will be 62.075 metric tonnes. Based on the number of registered participants, an individual catch limit of 250 kg round weight will be implemented. To convert dressed (head on, gutted) weight to round weight, multiply dressed weight by 1.14. SEASON: The fourth opening will be extended until 4 p.m. on September 20th . During open periods, the fishery will occur from 4 a.m. on September 16th until 4 p.m. on September 20th . Licences holders are not permitted to leave port until 2 a.m. on the day of an opening and must return to port by 6 p.m. on September 20th.

When fishing for Atlantic Halibut anywhere in the Gulf of St. Lawrence where a notice of a temporary closure was given due to the presence of North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW), the licence holder shall closely attend their fishing gear at all times and must remove all fishing gear from the water prior to entering port. The licence holder shall also remove all fishing gear from the water as soon as a NARW is observed in the vicinity of the fishing activity when it is safe to do so. If more than 10% of the quota remains after the fourth opening, a list of eligible licence holders will be created and the quota redistributed based on the initial individual catch limit. Management measures similar to 2018 include: •The maximum number of hooks permitted to be fished or on board a vessel at any time is 300. •Maximum individual by-catch limit of 50kg of cod. All fishing activities must cease once this bycatch limit is reached. •100% Dockside Monitoring -2- Requirement to report lost and retrieved gear: - As in 2018, the requirement to report lost gear to DFO remains in place. - NEW requirement – Starting in 2019, licence holders must report the retrieval of any of their own gear previously reported lost to DFO. - The Lost fishing gear form and the Retrieval of previously reported fishing gear form are included in licence conditions and are now available online at: http://www.dfompo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/commercial-commerciale/reporting-declaration-eng.html. - The appropriate forms must be completed and submitted within 24 hours of entering to port (new timeframe). Requirement to report interactions with marine mammals: - The Marine Mammal Interaction Form will remain included with the licence conditions and must be completed and submitted by email to: DFO.NAT.InteractionsMMInteractionsMM.NAT.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca unless it is filled out online at: http://www.dfompo.gc.ca/species-especes/mammals-mammiferes/report-rapport/fish-harvester-pecheur-eng.asp. The form must be submitted within 48 hours of the end of a fishing trip. Please refer to the separate notice attached issued on April 12, 2019 for additional information on Management measures to protect North Atlantic Right Whales. A map illustrating the Lobster Fishing Areas and the dynamic management areas subject to temporary closures (dynamic zone) is provided in Annex 1 for information purposes only. …/2

For more information contact:

Ben Moore A/Area Chief, Resource Management Gulf Region Fisheries and Oceans Canada Charlottetown, PEI (902) 370-7094

Daniel Lapierre A/Regional Senior FAM Officer Gulf Region Fisheries and Oceans Canada Moncton, N.B. 506-851-3846