Fishery Notice

2020 Prawn and Shrimp by Trap Season Opening

The 2020 Prawn and Shrimp by Trap season opening, originally scheduled to open no earlier than May 7, 2020, has been delayed due to the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 
2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Due to market uncertainties, the Province of BC's declaration of a provincial state of emergency, and the 45-day suspension by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans 
Canada of all At-Sea Observers to help control the spread of COVID-19, the Pacific Prawn Fishermen's Association in collaboration with the Prawn Industry Caucus, the 
BC Seafood Alliance and the major prawn processors in BC has requested a delay to the start of the prawn season until June 4, 2020. A delayed season will provide time 
for vessel operators and processors to work through the new guidelines for safe operations and for the Pacific Prawn Fishermen's Association and J.O. Thomas and 
Associates Ltd. to work with DFO on safety protocols for the at-sea sampling program. 

Open 12:00 hours (noon) June 4, 2020 until further notice for all species of shrimp, including prawns, by trap gear in the following areas: 

Subareas 1-1 to 1-5 and 1-7

Area 2 except for the marine strict protection zones identified in the Gwaii Haanas Gina 'Waadluan Kiluhla Land-Sea-People Management Plan - Kwoon Cove to Gowgaia Bay, 
SGang Gwaay (Wailing Island), South Kunghit Island, Gangxid Xyuu Kun sda Kan 'Láas Kun (Lyman Point to Receiver Point), Kayjuu Kun (Benjamin Point), St'aa K'ii GawGa 
(Flamingo Inlet) - Head, GawGajaang (Louscoone Inlet) - Head, K'insiGid (Rose Inlet) - Head, GawGan (Huston Inlet) - Head, Suu Kaahlii sda SGwaay Kun Gwaay.yaay 
(Skincuttle Inlet to Burnaby Island), Gid Gwaa GyaaGa GawGa (Poole Inlet), Kuuniisii Xaw GawGa sda Gaaduu Gwaay (Matheson Inlet to Huxley Island), Gandaawuu.ngaay 
Xyangs sda Tllga Kun Gwaay.yaay (Juan Perez Sound to Lyell Island), Didxwahxyangs (Darwin Sound), T'aanuu K'aadxwah Xyangs sda Gwaay Xaa'ans (Klue Passage to Lost 
Islands)

Area 3

Subareas 4-1 to 4-9 and 4-12 to 4-15

Areas 5 to 10

Areas 101 to 110, 130 and 142 except for the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Areas (Section 3.3.30 of the Commercial 
Harvest Plan), the Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area (Section 3.3.31 of the Commercial Harvest Plan) and the Offshore Pacific Seamounts and Vents Fishery Closure 
(Section 3.3.32 of the Commercial Harvest Plan)

Subareas are described in the Pacific Fishery Management Area Regulations. 

Variation Order Number 2020-192
      

Note: 
This notice applies to North Coast Areas 1 to 10 and Offshore Areas 101 to 110, 130 and 142. Please refer to the South Coast / Fraser River notice for Areas 11 to 29, 
111, 121 and 123 to 127. 

On the first day of the fishery, June 4, 2020, harvesters are permitted to set their gear and haul and reset it once only, provided they do so by 19:00 hours. 

Effective June 5, 2020, hauling of prawn and shrimp by trap gear, line and buoys is permitted only once per day as a condition of licence in all areas of the coast. 
This is referred to as single hauling. 

In all areas, after opening day, all setting and hauling of prawn and shrimp traps will be permitted only between 07:00 hours (7:00 am) and 19:00 hours (7:00 pm) and 
hauling of traps will be permitted only once per day.

All in season area closures will be implemented at 19:00 hours unless otherwise announced. 

Vessel masters are advised to carefully consider stability and weather conditions when loading their vessels and packing gear. 

J.O. Thomas is the service company selected by industry to provide: trap tags, logbooks, hail out, set/haul data, and the in season at-sea observer program.  The hail 
out number is 1-866-930-4000.
 
Every person working on a vessel that is fishing under a communal commercial licence must be designated by the First Nation that holds the licence. The designation 
must be made in writing and include the person's name and reference the communal commercial licence. The designation must be carried on-board and be produced on 
request of any Fishery Officer. First Nations licence holders interested in obtaining an example template to use to designate their harvesters may contact a DFO 
Resource Manager. 

All vessels must have a DFO-approved vessel monitoring system reporting vessel location every 15 minutes. For each VMS unit installation, replacement, transfer to 
another vessel, or change to the licence holder, a completed National Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Form 
(https://dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/sdc-cps/vessel-monitoring-surveillance-navire/index-eng.html) shall be forwarded by email to DFO.VMSRegistration-
EnregistrementSSN.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca. 

Vessel masters are reminded that the Conditions of Licence require the string location and the haul time to be recorded in the harvest logbook "Time of Haul" column 
within ½ hour of hauling, and before the next string is hauled.   

The minimum size limit for prawns is 33 mm measured as carapace length. The minimum size for tailed prawns is 22 mm telson length.
  
Traps must be sorted and undersized prawns released as each trap comes on board.

All berried prawns must be released.

A total of 300 traps on 6 strings may be fished or 500 traps on 10 strings where traps have been reallocated prior to licencing. These trap and string limits are 
reduced in the Special Management Areas (Section 4.5.2 of the Commercial Harvest Plan). 
    
All traps shall contain a biodegradable escape mechanism ("rot cord") to allow bycatch to escape in event traps are lost.

All harvesters are required to accurately report information about the octopus catch. Closures to the harvest of octopus are described in Section 3 of the Commercial 
Harvest Plan.

Harvesters are reminded that Section 25(1) of the Fisheries Act prohibits all pre-fishery fishing efforts or the setting of any fishing gear or apparatus prior to the 
opening time at 1200 h June 4, 2020.
  
No prawns or shrimp that are not permitted to be retained under the authority of the licence shall be on board the licenced vessel. 

Any entanglement in fishing gear of a marine mammal or collision between a vessel and a marine mammal shall be reported immediately to DFO by telephone at 1-800-465-
4336 and 
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/mammals-mammiferes/report-rapport/page01-eng.html.

Any lost fishing gear shall be reported within 24 hours of landing in port after determining the gear was lost using the form at 
https://dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/commercial-commerciale/doc/Pacific-lost-gear-form-eng.pdf. The retrieval of any of your own previously reported lost gear shall 
be reported within 24 hours of landing in port using the form at 
https://dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/reports-rapports/documents/pacific-retrieved-form-en.pdf. Retrieval can only occur under a valid fishing licence and only in 
relation to the specific type of gear authorized to be used by the fishing licence.

All frozen and fresh product on board must be in a condition that it can be readily measured and identified by species. Freezing of whole or tailed product in solid 
blocks or tubs of ice will require that the harvester provide randomly selected samples to be thawed for inspection by Fishery Officers.

Refer to the 2020/21 Prawn and Shrimp by Trap Integrated Fisheries Management Plan at http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40868011.pdf for the detailed 
commercial harvest plan, closure area descriptions, Special Management Area (SMA) restrictions and contact numbers for further information or clarification. 

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) - Information for industry and partners: http://dfo-mpo.gc.ca/covid19/industry-industrie/index-eng.html


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Coral Keehn 604-627-3021
Laurie Convey 250-756-7233

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0421
Sent May 5, 2020 at 1348

Return to Main Menu

Visit Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Printed from the Pacific Region web site on May 16, 2024 at 2118