June 15, 2018
June 14, 2018
EKME: 3922923
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PEI TOAD CRAB FISHERY IN LOBSTER FISHING AREA
24 –
NEW MANAGEMENT MEASURES STARTING IN 2018 TO
MINIMIZE
THE RISKS OF INTERACTIONS WITH THE NORTH ATLANTIC
RIGHT WHALE
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The following colored markings will be required
for the PEI Toad Crab fishery “orange and white”.
-
The rope used to attach a crab trap to a primary buoy must have orange
and white markings each of 15 cm in length.
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The marking referred to in 2.5.1 must be permanently affixed at a
maximum, at every 27.4 meters of rope attaching a crab trap to a primary buoy.
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The markings must be made by using colored twine or colored tape.
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When using colored twine, it must be interlaced within the rope in such
a manner that it remains permanently affixed to the rope.
-
When using colored tape, it must be affixed to the rope in such a manner
that it remains permanently affixed to the rope.
-
The shade of orange used for the markings must contrast with the color
of the rope used to attach a crab trap to a primary buoy.
The following
requirements will be in place to minimize the length of rope floating on the
surface of the water and to reduce the risks of entanglements:
-
No
rope attaching a crab trap to a primary buoy shall remain floating on the
surface of the water after the crab trap has been set.
-
A
maximum of 3.7 meters of rope shall be used when attaching a primary buoy to a
secondary buoy.
Note: A primary
buoy is defined as a buoy or other floating device attached to a trap. A secondary buoy is defined as a buoy or
other floating device attached to a primary buoy.
Requirement to report lost gear
Licence holders will be required to report lost
gear. This new management measure will help quantify the amount of gear lost
annually and identify the need to increase efforts to retrieve gear that has
been lost, which would reduce the risks of whale entanglements.
The
following specific information must be reported to DFO by email (DFO.GLF.Gear-Engins.GLF.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) within 72 hours of noticing that the gear has been
lost:
-
sequence
number of tag attached to the crab trap that has been lost;
-
vessel
registration number (or in the case of Aboriginal licence conditions: vessel
identification number);
-
latitude
and longitude of last known position of lost crab trap and the identification
number written on the primary buoy; and
-
date
the crab trap was last fished.
Marine mammal interaction reporting
In order to comply with the implementation of
the US Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA) regulations, licence holders must
now provide information regarding all interactions with a marine mammal
including: bycatch, collisions and all sightings of entangled marine mammals
that occur during fishing expeditions.
A Marine Mammal Interaction Form (included
with licence conditions) must be completed and submitted by email to DFO.NAT.InteractionsMM-InteractionsMM.NAT.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca within 48
hours after the end of a fishing trip.
The information
provided on the form will be used by DFO to estimate levels of accidental
mortality and injury to marine mammals. This information will allow DFO to
better assess the types of threats that may affect Canada's marine mammals and
to develop mitigation strategies.
Requirement
to report sightings of live whales
Sightings of live, free-swimming whales must be reported to
DFO by telephone: 1-844-800-8568, or by email: XMARwhalesightings@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
Protocol for the dynamic
management of the fisheries
DFO will implement a protocol
for the dynamic management of the fisheries in 2018 which will close areas to
fishing activities when the presence of NARW is observed. This protocol will
allow DFO to close specific areas to fishing activities to prevent incidents
with NARW, such as entanglements. DFO will use the existing soft shell/white
crab grids to close areas due to the presence of NARW. These measures may be adapted as needed over
the season.
Observations inside a foraging area for the toad crab fishery
When one NARW is observed
inside a foraging area (see map below), a maximum of nine grids in the forage
area will be closed to provide a buffer area around the sighting location to
account for whale movements.
Closing and reopening of the areas
Closures will be in force for
a minimum period of 15 days and will be extended by 15 days from the last NARW
sighting. If NARWs are not seen during at least two aerial surveillance flights
during the 15 days period, the dynamic closure for the relevant sections will
be automatically lifted at the end of the period. Closures will be regulated
through variation orders and licence holders will be provided an advance notice
of 48 hours to retrieve fishing gear from the area prior to closure.
Map
of the foraging areas and Lobster Fishing Areas
The season opening will be announced at a later time.
FOR
INFORMATION:
|
Kim Hill
Resource Management
Fisheries and Oceans
Charlottetown, PE
902-566-7933
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Ben Moore
Resource Management
Fisheries and Oceans
Charlottetown, PE
902-370-7094
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Telephone: (902) 566-4050
Fax: 902-368-3748
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