2024 – Snow Crab fishery opening date : Crab Fishing Areas 12 (12, 18, 25, 26) and 12E

Moncton and Quebec – March 30, 2024

• The southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (including the waters of the Chaleur Bay) is ice free in water depths greater than 36.6 m (20 fathoms). The fishery may open even if some wharves are not entirely free of ice.
• Safety at sea considerations (weather, search and rescue, navigation buoys).

The fishery in Crab Fishing Area 12 (12, 18, 25, 26) and Area 12E will open at 6:00 AM Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT) on April 1, 2024.

The fishery will close on June 30, 2024 at 23:59 hrs Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT). All gear must be removed from the water by the end of the day June 30th, but landing of traps and crabs can occur, if required, on July 1st.

Aids to navigation should be considered unreliable as not all buoys have been deployed before the fishery opening. Chartered buoy position data is available for the fishing industry. Mariners are advised to exercise extreme caution.

Furthermore, it is reminded that, during the period where fishing is authorized, it is the responsibility of the captain to take into account the marine safety notices issued, among others, by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Transport Canada, as well as the standards and best practices in marine safety, and to take all measures to ensure a safe fishery.