Redfish Unit 1 (2024)
Species and fishing area
The redfish fishery in Unit 1 consists of two redfish species that occur in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Laurentian Channel areas, Deepwater redfish (Sebastes mentella) and Acadian redfish (Sebastes fasciatus).
Unit 1 consists of Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Divisions 4RST and 3Pn + 4Vn (January 1- May 31).
Dates of season
The management cycle for Unit 1 is May 15 until May 14 of the following year.
There is an annual seasonal closure, throughout Unit 1, from April 1 to June 15 to protect redfish during the spawning season.
Specific dates for the start of the 2024-25 fishing season will be communicated in a Notice to fish harvesters.
Total allowable catch and sharing arrangements
For the 2024-25 season, the Total Allowable Catch for Unit 1 Redfish is set at 60,000 tonnes (t).
5,000 t will be set aside for access by application for those that are ready to fish this year, have participated in the index and/or experimental fisheries, or have projects planned for the redfish fishery. Consult the Notice of Interest for the reserve allocation.
The remaining 55,000 t will be allocated as per the allocation key announced on January 26, 2024.
The offshore allocation (32 279,5 t) will be distributed according to existing enterprise allocations for groundfish vessels in that fleet.
The following percentage shares for the inshore, midshore, and EGSL shrimp fleets are established for Phase 1 of the fishery (2024-25 and 2025-26).
The inshore (vessels <65’) mobile gear fleet shares, will be as follows:
| Fleet | Share (%) | Allocation (t) 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 41.23 | 3,365.04 |
| Nova Scotia | 4.25 | 346.97 |
| New Brunswick | 7.29 | 594.80 |
| Prince Edward Island | 3.37 | 275.37 |
| Quebec | 43.86 | 3,579.82 |
The midshore (vessels 65’ to 100’) mobile gear fleet shares will be as follows:
| Fleet | Share (%) | Allocation (t) 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Crab vessels | 4.5 | 141.3 |
| Shrimp vessels | 39.2 | 1,231.7 |
| Groundfish enterprise allocation vessels | 56.4 | 1,773.1 |
The allocation of Redfish to Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence shrimp harvesters will be distributed as follows:
| Fleet | Share (%) | Allocation (t) 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec | 42 | 2,310.0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 37 | 2,035.0 |
| New Brunswick | 21 | 1,155.0 |
The allocation to Indigenous groups, totaling 5,500.0t, will be managed through an inter-regional competitive regime. Any Indigenous community or organization that holds an inshore or midshore (<65’ or 65-100’) mobile gear groundfish licence with access to Unit 1 (4RST and 3Pn, 4Vn from Jan-May) will be eligiblefor this allocation. A Notice of Interest for this allocation is now available.
Management measures
The management plan for Redfish Unit 1 includes closed areas, depth restrictions, gear requirements, at-sea observer coverage requirements, among others. These measures, many of which are new measures for the Unit 1 commercial fishery, will be outlined in Conservation Harvest Plans and licence conditions, and are designed to limit and effectively monitor bycatch, to ensure that this fishery is carried out sustainably.
Conservation Harvesting Plans for individual fleets will be finalized through the normal consultation process between Departmental staff and industry representatives.
Link to other information
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