Fishery Notice

Area A Opening 00:01 hours January 1, 2017:
Areas 1 (1-4 by Ring-net gear only), 101, 102 to 110 excluding a portion of 102-
3;
130 excluding a portion of 130-3; 
142 excluding a portion of 142-1;

Subareas 2-5 to 2-12, 2-14, 2-15, 2-17, 2-18, 2-20 to 2-30, 2-32, 2-35, 2-36, 2-
38 to 2-40, 2-42 to 2-62, 2-68 to 2-76, and 2-78 to 2-100.

Portions of sub-areas: 2-13, 2-16, 2-19, 2-31, 2-33, 2-34, 2-37, 2-41.

Variation Order 2017-2 in effect


The following areas will be closed to Commercial Crab harvesting from January 1 
to December 31, 2017:

Dogfish Bank BC Ferries Lane:
A one nautical mile wide corridor, one-half nautical mile on either side of a 
line between 53° 56.0' N, 130° 55.7' W and 53° 45.3' N, 131° 16.2' W Then one-
half nautical mile wide corridor, with one-quarter nautical mile on either side 
of a line between 53° 45.3' N, 131° 16.2' W and 53° 39.9' N, 131° 26.2' W. This 
half-mile corridor is eight miles long and traverses "Dog's Head" After this, 
another one nautical mile wide corridor, with one-half nautical mile on either 
side of a line between 53° 39.9' N, 131° 26.2' W and 53° 27.58' N, 131° 49.3' W.
For a complete description of all points that form the boarder of this corridor 
see the chart in Appendix 7 of the 2017 Crab IFMP.

First Nations FSC and Recreational Access Closures:
Subarea 2-1
Those waters of Skidegate Inlet and adjacent waters lying westerly of a line 
that begins at 53°25.854'N 131°54.640'W [Lawn Point] then southerly following 
the surfline to 53°15.632'N 131°46.232'W [surfline] then true west to 53°
15.632'N 131°49.290'W [Spit Point] and easterly of the meridian passing through 
132°16.966'W at McLellan Point; 

Subarea 2-2
Those waters inside a line that begins at 53°15.632'N 131°49.290'W [Spit Point] 
then true east to 53°15.632'N 131°46.232'W [surfline] then southerly following 
the surfline to 53°06.533'N 131°38.748'W [Gray Point] then northerly following 
the shoreline to the beginning point;

Subarea 2-3 
Those waters of Cumshewa Inlet and adjacent waters lying westerly of a line 
that begins at 53°06.533'N 131°38.748'W [Gray Point] then southerly following 
the surfline to 52°57.832'N 131°32.897'W [surfline] then true west to 52°
57.832'N 131°36.199'W [Skedans Point] and easterly of the meridian passing 
through 131°50.320'W at Conglomerate Point;

Subarea 2-4
Those waters of Cumshewa Inlet and adjacent waters lying westerly of the 
meridian passing through 131°50.320'W at Conglomerate Point and easterly of a 
line that begins at 53°01.476'N 131°57.690'W [near Barge Point] then to 53°
00.859'N 131°55.969'W [Louise Island];

Subarea 2-63
Those waters of Buck Channel and adjacent waters inside a line that begins at 
53°09.121'N 132°37.757'W [surfline] then true east to 53°09.121'N 132°35.137'W 
[Tcenakun Point] then following the southerly shoreline of Chaatl Island to 53°
07.576'N 132°24.043'W [Chaatl Island] then true east to 53°07.576'N 132°
23.622'W [Demariscove Point] then westerly following the shoreline to 53°
05.732'N 132°34.496'W [Buck Point] then northerly following the surfline to the 
beginning point; 

Subarea 2-64
Those waters of Skidegate Channel inside a line that begins at 53°10.603'N 132°
33.832'W [Ells Point] then southeasterly following the shoreline to 53°09.163'N 
132°30.818'W [Mercer Point] then to 53°08.687'N 132°29.959'W [Newton Point] 
then true south to 53°07.704'N 132°29.959'W [Chaatl Island] then following the 
northerly shoreline to 53°09.121'N 132°35.137'W [Tcenakun Point] then to the 
beginning point;

Subarea 2-65
Those waters of Dawson Inlet and Dawson Harbour lying northerly of a line that 
begins at 53°09.163'N 132°30.818'W [Mercer Point] then to 53°08.687'N 132°
29.959'W [Newton Point];

Subarea 2-66
Those waters of Skidegate Channel lying easterly of the meridian passing 
through 132°29.959'W at Newton Point and westerly of a line that begins at 53°
07.576'N 132°24.043'W [Chaatl Island] then true east to 53°07.576'N 132°
23.622'W [Demariscove Point] then true north to 53°08.316'N 132°23.622'W 
[Graham Island];

Subarea 2-67
Those waters of Skidegate Channel and adjacent waters lying easterly of the 
meridian passing through 132°16.966'W at McLellan Point and westerly of the 
meridian passing through 132°23.622'W at Demariscove Point;

Subarea 2-77
Those waters of Shields Bay inside a line that begins at 53°20.424'N 132°
26.568'W [Dawson Head] then true north to 53°21.050'N 132°26.569'W [Graham 
Island] then following the shoreline of Shields Bay to 53°19.419'N 132°27.322'W 
[Graham Island] then true north to 53°19.476'N 132°27.322'W [Shields Island] 
then following the westerly shoreline of Shields Island to the beginning point. 
(First Nations FSC and Recreational Access Closure) 

Bowie Seamount: 
Area bounded by a series of rhumb lines drawn from a point 53°03207.63 N, 135°
50225.93 W, to a point 53°16220.93 N, 134°59255.43 W, then to a point 53°392
49.23 N, 135°17204.93 W, then to a point 53°39218.03 N, 135°53246.53 W, then to 
a point 53°52216.73 N, 136°30223.13 W, then to a point 53°49219.63 N, 136°472
33.13 W, then to a point 53°40202.53 N, 136°57203.53 W, then to a point 53°132
59.23 N, 136°10200.03 W, then back to the point of commencement as laid out in 
the Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area Regulations. (Marine Protected Area)

Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site:

(1) Burnaby Narrows
Those waters of Subareas 2-13 and 2-16 inside a line commencing at 52°23.049 
minutes N and 131°23.438 minutes W east to 52°23.077 minutes N and 131°22.908 
minutes W, following the southern shoreline of Kat island east to 52°23.107 
minutes N and 131°22.274 minutes W, then east to 52°23.295 minutes N and 131° 
21.34 minutes W, following the western shoreline of Burnaby Island south to 52° 
20.951 minutes N and 131°20.509 minutes W, then west to 52°20.733 minutes N and 
131°21.072 minutes W, and then north following the eastern shoreline of Moresby 
Island back to the point of commencement. [Burnaby Narrows]

(2) Louscoone Estuary
Those waters of Subareas 2-33 and 2-34 north of a line drawn from 52°11.836 
minutes N and 131°15.658 minutes W east to 52°12.271 minutes N and 131°14.594 
minutes W. [Louscoone Estuary]

(3) Flamingo Estuary
Those waters of Subarea 2-37 north of a line drawn from 52°14.456 minutes N and 
131°22.234 minutes W southeast to 52°14.246 minutes N and 131°21.489 minutes W. 
[Flamingo Estuary]

(4) Gowgaia Estuary
Those waters of Subarea 2-41 east of a line drawn from 52°24.944 minutes N and 
131°32.138 minutes W southeast to 52°24.238 minutes N and 131°32.024 minutes W. 
[Gowgaia Estuary]

(5) Cape Saint James
Those waters of Subareas 2-19, 102-3, 130-3 and 142-1 inside a line commencing 
at 51°56.523 minutes N and 131°01.522 minutes W, southwest to 51°55.627 minutes 
N and 131°02.574 minutes W, then southeast to 51°52.5 minutes N and 130°57.919 
minutes W, then south to 51°51.676 minutes N and 130°57.805 minutes W, the 
southeast to 51°50.349 minutes N and 130°56.442 minutes W, then northeast to 51°
51.062 minutes N and 130°54.717 minutes W, then north to 51°53.888 minutes N 
and 130°55.608 minutes W, then northwest to 51°58.671 minutes N and 130°59.464 
minutes W, and then west to 51°58.743 minutes N and 131°00.606 minutes W, and 
then following the southern shore of Kunghit Island west to the point of 
commencement. [Cape Saint James]

(6) SGang Gwaay
Those waters of Subareas 2-31 and 142-1 inside a 3km radius from the centre 
point on Anthony Island located at 52°05.655 minutes N and 131°13.178 minutes 
W. [SGang Gwaay]

Hecate Strait Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reef Areas:
The Department is requesting that commercial harvesters voluntarily avoid the 
Hecate Strait Glass Sponge Reef areas until consultation and mitigation 
measures are finalized, (Appendix 7.5 of the 2017 Crab IFMP).


NOTES: 

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

To avoid gear conflicts with Midwater Trawl vessels, harvesters fishing in the 
vicinity of Goose Bank are being requested to limit the depth to which they 
fish.  The current depth limit is approximately 40 fathoms.  For a more current 
update on this agreement please contact Dan Edwards of the Area "A" Association.
Release all by-catch species with the least possible harm.  Retention of 
flatfish, finfish, and soft, female, and undersized Dungeness crab is 
prohibited.
Buoy lines should be appropriate for water depth and tide cycles
Keep crab buoys brightly painted and in accordance with licence conditions.
Minimize wash in harbours, particularly at boat launches, marinas and other 
wharves.
If commercial harvesters are replacing active crab traps with ones that have 
been inactive for more than 18 days they should transfer the RFID chip from the 
active trap to the replacement trap.  This RFID replacement activity will help 
minimise violation errors associated with oversoak and trap allocation 
calculations.
To further minimize gear conflicts, co-development of best practices with the 
Area F Troll fleet is anticipated.
 
Soft-Shell Crab
Soft-shell crab may not be retained or possessed in the commercial crab 
fishery.  This prohibition also applies to crab buyers and processors. 
"Soft-shell crab" means a crab whose shell is not fully hardened, and yields to 
finger pressure.  A crab with a durometer measurement of 70 units or less is 
defined as a soft-shell crab.

Electronic Monitoring
All vessels must have installed an electronic monitoring (EM) system or provide 
100% observer coverage.  The EM system must have power 24 hours a day, 7 days a 
week while traps are in the water.

The service provider for Area A is Ecotrust Canada (250-624-4191) 
This service provider can provide EM coverage, trap tags, enter logbook and 
hail data, and conduct biological sampling with designated observers.

Service providers may require additional information as part of their agreement 
with licence eligibility holders to ensure that observers can locate the active 
vessels for the on-board biological data collection requirement and to ensure 
proper delivery of the electronic monitoring program.

Trip Hails
The vessel master shall provide oral reports to the service provider as per the 
2017 Conditions of Commercial Crab Licence. 

Harvest Logs
12.  Records - Harvest Log and Fishing Location Information:
(see explanatory note after section 19)

(1) The vessel master shall maintain a log of all harvest operations and 
provide this information in both hard (paper) copy and electronic copy to the 
Department in accordance with the timing set out in subsection 12(7). The 
content and format of the log (paper and electronic) shall meet the 
requirements as defined by Fisheries and Oceans Canada Marine Ecosystem and 
Aquaculture Division's Shellfish Data Unit.

(2) The harvest and fishing location information recorded in the harvest log 
shall be complete and accurate. 

(3) The information for each day's harvest operations shall be recorded in the 
harvest log not later than midnight of that day.

(4) The vessel master shall enter latitude/longitude co-ordinates in the 
location field of the harvest log for each string or group of traps.  A string 
is defined as traps connected by a line.  A group is defined as single trap or 
short strings of traps in a distinct area (e.g. a bay) not crossing an Area or 
Subarea boundary with no two traps more than 0.5 nautical miles (1 km) apart.  
The vessel master shall:

(a) In the case of a string of traps, record a new line of harvest information 
with a new latitude/longitude coordinate pair to represent one end of the 
string; or
(b) In the case of a group of traps, record a new line of harvest information 
with a new latitude/longitude coordinate pair to represent the centre point of 
the group of traps and 
(c) Record Latitude/longitude coordinate pairs using degree decimal minute 
format, with information provided to the third decimal point.

(5) The vessel master shall enter their Fishing Identification Number, (Vessel 
Master FIN) from their Fisher Registration Card (FRC) in the space provided at 
the top of each harvest log page.

(6) The harvest log shall be kept on board the licensed vessel.

(7) The harvest log shall be produced for examination on demand of a fishery 
officer or an observer.

(8) The licence holder shall ensure the completed log pages (original copy) and 
electronic copy of the log are forwarded not later than 28 days following the 
end of each month in which fishing occurred to: 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada 
Shellfish Data Unit 
Pacific Biological Station 
3190 Hammond Bay Road 
Nanaimo BC V9T 6N7
Tel: (250) 756-7022 or (250) 756-7306

Further Information
Further information and requirements are documented in the 2017 Conditions of 
Licence and the 2017 Crab IFMP available upon request to: 

Steven Groves
Unit Head: Shellfish
Fisheries & Oceans Canada Pêches et Océans Canada
417-2nd Avenue West 417, deuxième avenue ouest
Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1G8 Prince Rupert, (C.-B.) V8J 1G8
Tel: / Tél: (250) 627-3455.  Fax: / Télécopieur: (250) 627-3427
E-mail/ Courrier électronique: Steven.Groves@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN1374
Sent December 22, 2016 at 1103

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