Fishery Notice

As required by new US comparability requirements, all countries exporting fish 
and fish products to the United States must record marine mammal interactions 
in a consistent manner. As such, Canada has committed to updating licence 
conditions for all marine commercial and First Nation economic fisheries. 
Beginning in 2018, the Department is introducing an additional requirement to 
record marine mammal interactions on a National form, as part of the marine 
commercial salmon licence conditions.   

Please note that all marine commercial salmon licence conditions will include 
this new requirement starting in 2018.  Included in the Marine Mammals section 
of the commercial salmon licence conditions will be a website link to the 
National reporting form and instructions for submission. This form does not 
replace any of the information that is currently required in the salmon fishery 
logbooks. The reporting form and all reporting requirements will be reviewed in 
the post-season and may be updated in 2019 should improvements be available.

Within the National reporting form - depredation (removal of fish caught on 
fishing gear by marine mammals) is listed as an interaction.  Pacific region is 
aware of the potential for a high number of this type of interaction in certain 
salmon fisheries. For fisheries which have this reporting requirement for 2018, 
recording of interactions of depredation are only required if another negative 
interaction is associated with it (e.g. net entanglement) and/or if the 
depredation is significant (e.g. marine mammal at risk of becoming habituated).

All commercial and economic salmon conditions of licence will be required to 
have the new reporting requirements included to allow for exporting to the US, 
per US requirements and consistent with Canada's commitment to comply with new 
US comparability requirements. The Department will also be coordinating with 
First Nations to incorporate the new requirements into licence conditions for 
upcoming economic opportunity and demonstration fisheries. 

The link to the online National form and instructions for filling in and 
reporting can be found here: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/mammals-
mammiferes/documents/report/Fish-Harvester-Form-Eng.pdf

Links to species identification summaries you may find useful can be found 
here: http://wildwhales.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/BCCSN_IDGuide.pdf.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Paul Cottrell - 604-666-9965

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0388
Sent May 16, 2018 at 1444

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Visit Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Printed from the Pacific Region web site on January 13, 2026 at 1928