The federal Fisheries Department says it has reached an agreement with France allowing fishers from the tiny archipelago near Newfoundland a portion of the annual Atlantic halibut catch.
In a new release Monday, the department said fishers from the French territory of St-Pierre-Miquelon will be allowed three per cent of the total allowable catch, which is set each year by Canada.
The release says the agreement was reached after months of negotiations and that it “supports the health and sustainability” of the fishery, whose landings in 2022 were worth about $70 million.
Most Atlantic halibut is found in Canadian fishing waters, though a small percentage lives within the French maritime zone off the coast of St-Pierre-Miquelon.
The department says the halibut agreement allows French harvesters to fish in French waters and the high seas, but not in Canadian waters.
Earlier this year, fisheries officials warned Canadian harvesters they could lose their licences if they were caught assisting French vessels to fish Atlantic halibut within areas governed by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.