Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR SNOW CRAB IN 2011
IN CRAB FISHING AREAS (CFAs) 12, 18, 25, 26, 12E & F

Moncton (NB), Quebec (Qc) – April 12, 2011 – The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Conservation and Protection (C&P) division, Gulf and Quebec Regions, wishes to advise the industry of the following new requirements in the snow crab licence conditions for CFAs 12, 18, 25, 26, 12E & F starting in 2011:

• Hail-in: The captain/operator/licence holder will be required to provide the estimated quantities of fish in rounded weight that will be offloaded, as well as the sequential number from the logbook used for the fishing trip.

• Hail-out: To cancel or delay a previously confirmed departure time for a fishing trip, the captain/operator/licence holder will be required to cancel the hail-out or confirm a new departure time prior to the original departure time.

In addition, when cancelling a previously confirmed departure time and indicating a new departure time for a fishing trip, the captain/operator/licence holder from the Gulf Region will be required to call at least ten (10) hours prior to the new departure time. In the Quebec Region, the captain/operator/licence holder will be required to call at least twelve (12) hours prior to the new departure time.

When delaying a previously confirmed departure time for a fishing trip, the captain/operator/ licence holder will be required to confirm a new departure time at least four (4) hours prior to the new departure time.

Note: A delayed departure is a departure made after the original departure time.

• Vessel Monitoring System (VMS): In the event that the VMS transponder becomes inoperative, is turned off or malfunctions in any way, the captain/operator/licence holder of the vessel will only be authorized to resume fishing once the VMS transponder is turned on and fully operational or when receiving an approval by DFO.

C&P encourage licence holders to send their completed VMS forms to the VMS Operations Centre a few weeks prior to the beginning of the snow crab fishery to allow proper time for DFO to process these forms.

C&P would also remind industry that completing the VMS forms and activating the VMS transponders are two distinct procedures and that licence holders are not obligated to activate their VMS transponders at the same time as sending the forms. However, C&P would like to encourage licence holders to activate their VMS units at least a few days prior to the beginning of the fishery to avoid any technical difficulties with these transponders on the first day of the fishing season.

Please refer to your snow crab licence conditions for more details on the new requirements, and contact your local C&P area office for any questions or clarifications.