Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Notice to Fish Harvesters
__________________________________________________________________
2011 ATLANTIC HALIBUT FISHERY FOR
THE PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND FIXED-GEAR FLEET

Moncton – July 21, 2011 - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) today approved revisions to
the 2011 Atlantic Halibut Conservation Harvesting Plan (CHP) for the Prince Edward Island
(PEI) fixed gear fleet sector.

Due to the large number of fish harvesters that have pre-registered for this fishery, changes to the
management measures were required in order to limit the possibility of quota overruns. The
season will now commence at 8:00 a.m. (Atlantic Daylight Time - ADT) on August 3, 2011, and
end at 6:00 p.m. (ADT) on the same day.

The approved gear for this fishery is longline. The maximum number of hooks per fish harvester
has now been set at 400.

Please refer to the attached CHP for further details concerning management measures for this
fishery.

For more information on this fishery, please contact:
Luc Légère
Senior Advisor, Groundfish
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Moncton, New Brunswick
506-851-2382

Colin MacIsaac
Area Chief, Resource Management
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
902-566-7815

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2011 CONSERVATION HARVESTING PLAN
Atlantic halibut (4RST) – Prince Edward Island fixed gear fleet
Less than 19.817 meters

Revised July 21, 2011

This conservation harvesting plan (CHP) applies to all Prince Edward Island fixed gear licence
holders fishing Atlantic halibut in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Divisions
4RST with vessels less than 19.817 meters (65 feet) in overall length from May 15, 2011 to
May 14, 2012.

When fishing in a particular area, the CHP for that area will apply. It is to be noted that this CHP
is subject to change following ministerial decisions or annual review.
Directed fishing for any other groundfish species will require a separate CHP.

The conservation measures during the fishery are as follows:
1. Protection of spawning fish and concentration of juveniles
The protection of fish during the spawning period and areas where there are concentrations of
juveniles is a priority that the Department and the industry consider very important for the
reconstruction of the cod stock in the gulf of Saint Lawrence. The following conservation
measures will apply:
Closure of all groundfish fisheries from April 1 to June 23 in part of the NAFO Division 4R
offshore from St. Georges Bay and Port au Port Bay.
Closure by variation order of all groundfish fisheries from January 1 to December 31 in part of
sub-divisions 4T3a+b known as Miscou Bank.
Permanent closure of all groundfish fisheries from January 1 to December 31 in sub-division
4T5 known as Shediac Valley.

2. Participants
For the purposes of this CHP, fish harvesters who belong to the Prince Edward Island fixed gear
fleet are fish harvesters having their homeport in the province of Prince Edward Island using
Vessel Class A-68.

3. Allocation
The Atlantic halibut allocation for the Prince Edward Island fixed gear fleet will be 25.56 metric
tonnes in total for 2011. This includes an initial allocation of 6.10 t, a 17.12 t temporary reallocation
from the mobile gear fleet sectors' by-catch quotas, and a 10.00 t allocation due to the
initial increase in total allowable catch (TAC), and an additional 0.58 t due to a subsequent
increase in TAC. As well, a quota overrun from 2010 in the amount of 8.25 t was deducted from
the 2011 allocation. Any overrun of the 2011 allocation will be taken on a one-to-one basis from
the 2012 allocation of Atlantic halibut assigned to this fleet.

4. Fishing gear
Longline only
i. Minimum hook size: opening must be equal to or greater than 15.4 mm.
ii. Minimum hook spacing of three (3) fathoms when fishing in NAFO Division 4R or sub-
Division 3Pn
iii. Maximum number of hooks: 400 per licence holder.
2011 CONSERVATION HARVESTING PLAN
Atlantic halibut (4RST) – Prince Edward Island fixed gear fleet
Less than 19.817 meters

5. By-Catch Limits
By-catch is defined as the weight of a by-catch species divided by the weight of the directed
species, in this case, Atlantic halibut. If below by-catch limits are exceeded, the fishery may be
closed. By-catch of groundfish species may not be released unless a condition of licence
authorizes to do so. For management purposes, the individual by-catch limits of groundfish while
directing for Atlantic halibut are as follows:
Cod Maximum daily limit of 50 kg or 30%, whichever is greater
White hake Maximum daily limit of 10%
Sharks Maximum daily limit of the lesser of 500 kg or 10% of weight on
board the vessel providing the vessel has a condition of license
authorizing by-catch of sharks.
Other species of
groundfish
25%

6. Fishing effort
To minimize chances of overharvesting, it is recognized that the Prince Edward Island fixed gear
fleet will have to limit its fishing effort. Limits on fishing can take several forms, such as:
The number of participants,
The duration of the fishery, or
The amount of fishing gear used.
Following consultations with industry representatives, it was decided that the number of
participants in the fishery would not be limited, but the duration of the fishery and the number of
hooks will be limited to control the level of effort.

7. Small Fish Protocol
The small fish protocol that will apply:
a. Cod 43 cm
b. American plaice 30 cm
c. Witch flounder 30 cm
d. White hake 45 cm
e. Winter flounder /yellowtail flounder 25 cm
f. Atlantic halibut 85 cm
g. Greenland halibut 44 cm
h. Redfish 22 cm
Areas will be closed for specified fleet sectors when the number of undersized fish reaches or
exceeds 15% of the catch of any of the above species. Where there is a requirement by condition
of licence to release undersized fish to the water, it will not be counted within the small fish
protocol. Undersized fish may not be released unless a condition of licence authorizes to do so.
2011 CONSERVATION HARVESTING PLAN
Atlantic halibut (4RST) – Prince Edward Island fixed gear fleet
Less than 19.817 meters

8. Logbook
Logbooks are mandatory for all vessels.

9. Dockside Monitoring
Dockside monitoring program (DMP) will apply at 100%.

10. Observer Coverage
Industry-funded at-sea observer coverage at a minimum of 10% will apply for vessels less than
13.716 meters (45 feet). For vessels greater than 13.716 meters (45 feet), a minimum of 15% will
apply.
Fish harvesters are required to contact the DFO Vessel Hail-Out System at 1-800-561-2467, at
least 10 hours before leaving on each fishing trip (mandatory hail-out).
The Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association (PEIFA) had requested that fish harvesters
pre-register with their association’s office before 12:00 p.m. (noon) on July 15, 2011, in order to
better define the actual anticipated effort in this fishery. A conference call with members of the
PEI Fixed Gear Advisory Committee was held on July 15, 2011, to finalize effort controls.
Following an update from the PEIFA, it was determined that a minimum of 159 harvesters chose
to register with the PEIFA to fish under a contract with Biorex to fulfill that commitment in any
license condition they may request. In addition, it was noted that a refund date is set for those that
typically opt out of a finalized plan.

11. Catch Monitoring and Test Fishery
Small fish and by-catch closures will be of a minimum duration of ten days. The cost of
conducting all test fisheries must be borne by industry. If a fishery is closed, it will not re-open
unless DFO feels that it can be effectively monitored and controlled. If any particular fishery is
closed twice during the year because of high levels of small fish or incidental catch, the fishery
may remain closed for the remainder of the year.

12. Fishing Seasons
The following seasons will be in effect during the year. However, the actual opening dates for the
Prince Edward Island geographical fleet will be from August 3, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. (Atlantic Daylight
Time - ADT) until 6:00 p.m. (ADT) the same day. Any unused quota may be made available to
this fleet before May 14, 2012, pending approval of an amended CHP.
4T1
4T2 (a)
4T2 (b)
4T3 (a)
4T3 (b)
4T4
4T5
4T6
4T7
4T8
4T9 (a+b)
May 15 to December 31
May 15 to December 31
May 15 to December 31
May 15 to December 31, except Miscou bank
May 15 to December 31, except Miscou bank
May 15 to December 31
No directed fishery
May 15 to December 31
No directed fishery
No directed fishery
May 15 to December 31
2011 CONSERVATION HARVESTING PLAN
Atlantic halibut (4RST) – Prince Edward Island fixed gear fleet
Less than 19.817 meters
The fleet's choice to concentrate the fishing of the quota in a single fishing period is part of a
management approach aimed at not exceeding the quota allocated. However, this initiative
involves the risk of not reaching the quota. A mechanism must therefore be provided to get closer
to this quota.
If, after the prescribed fishing period, the total catch is over 90% of the quota, the objective will be
considered to have been reached and the fishery will not reopen. If, after the prescribed period,
the 90% threshold has not been harvested, industry and departmental representatives will
consider a reduced period of fishing to reach the objective. Members of the PEI Fixed Gear
Advisory Committee have already agreed to a tentative opening on August 23, 2011 should the
quota threshold not be reached.

13. Other Management Measures
The Department will continue to monitor the level of dumping and discarding of groundfish at sea.
An industry funded sampling program is already in place to collect data to monitor small fish and
by-catch. The sampling program will further be enhanced to include the collection of additional
data to monitor discard of groundfish. If a fleet sector or an individual is suspected of dumping
and discarding groundfish at sea, the industry funded at-sea observer coverage may be increased
up to 100%.
The overrun of quotas is a problem that needs to be addressed. To do so, the Department has
agreed to implement quota reconciliation starting with the 2010 season. Any fleet quota overruns
in the present season (2011) will be deducted on a one-to-one ratio from the following season's
quota (2012).