Fisheries Management Decision - 2J3KLPs Herring Management Plan 2025-26 and 2026-27
Species and Area
Herring fishery in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Divisions 2JK3LPs.
The herring fishing areas are Southern Labrador (Fishing Area 2), White Bay - Notre Dame Bay (Fishing Areas 3 & 4), Bonavista Bay - Trinity Bay (Fishing Areas 5 & 6), Conception Bay - Southern Shore (Fishing Areas 7 & 8), St. Mary's Bay-Placentia Bay (Fishing Areas 9 & 10), Fortune Bay and Pass Island to Cinq Cerf Bay (Fishing Area 11).
Season openings and closings (subject to change)
Season dates for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 herring fishery are established for each fishing area through consultations with fishing industry representatives.
| Fishing Season Dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Herring Fishing Areas (HFA) | Gear Type | Spring Season | Fall Season |
| HFA 1 -11 | Fixed gear gillnets and traps | April 1 to May 31 | August 15 to March 31 if any quota remains |
| HFA 1 -11 | Fixed gear tuck seine | April 1 to June 30 | August 15 to March 31 if any quota remains |
| HFA 3 -10 | Mobile gear | April 1 to June 30 | August 15 to March 31 with a fifty – fifty quota split between the spring and fall seasons |
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Sharing Arrangements
The total allowable catch (TAC) for 2J3KLPs herring is set at 14,842 tonnes for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 management periods, representing a rollover from 2023-24 and 2024-25. The TAC is allocated to the respective quota areas and fleets in accordance with existing sharing arrangements.
| Stock Area | Quotas (change from previous plan) |
|---|---|
| Labrador | 600t (status quo) |
| White Bay/Notre Dame Bay | 3,068t (status quo) |
| Bonavista Bay/Trinity Bay | 6,290t (status quo) |
| Conception Bay/Southern Shore | 945t (status quo) |
| St. Mary's Bay/Placentia Bay | 2,250t (status quo) |
| Fortune Bay | 1,189t (status quo) |
| Pass Island to Cinq Cerf Bay | 500t (status quo) |
Quotas within each gear sector and area are fished competitively.
Management Measures
The minimum size limit for herring in 2025-26 and 2026-27 is 21.31 cm.
The small fish tolerance is 20%.
Fixed gear fishers are permitted to fish only in their Fishing Area of residence (any one area of Fishing Areas 1 to 11). Mobile gear operators who reside on the Northeast coast may fish in any of Fishing Areas 3 to 8 (Cape Bauld to Cape Race). Mobile gear fishers living on the Southeast coast may fish in Fishing Areas 9 and 10 (Cape Race to Point Crewe).
A number of measures are in place to minimize potential salmon by-catch in the commercial fishery, including:
- Monofilament netting material is prohibited in herring trap net leaders and gillnets.
- Trap net leaders with a mesh size greater than 2 inches and less than 7 inches are prohibited.
Measures are also in place in the herring bait fishery to minimize the potential for salmon by-catch.
- Bait nets are not authorized to be set during peak salmon run periods in most areas and all bait nets must be set parallel to the nearest shore.
- Requirement for bait net to be set with the head ropes not less than one fathom below the surface.
All licensed herring fishers are required as a condition of licence to complete and return detailed logbook records of catch and fishing activity, including bait logbooks.
Purse seine licence holders will be required to carry an at-sea observer intermittently throughout the fishery at the request of DFO.
Harvesters participating in the bait and commercial fisheries will be requested to provide information on their activities specific to Science program requirements.
The fishery (all fleets & areas) is subject to a Dockside Monitoring Program.
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