Major Fish Stocks list in federal fishery regulations significantly expanded and reorganized

Plain-language summary · AI-assisted · not legal advice

Schedule IX of the Fishery (General) Regulations, which lists the fish stocks subject to major stock management provisions under the Fisheries Act, has been substantially revised. The list has grown from 30 entries to 86, adding many new stocks including multiple Pacific salmon runs (Chinook Okanagan, Chinook Yukon, Pink Fraser, sockeye stocks), several Pacific rockfish and herring stocks, Arctic char populations, Iceland scallops, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, spot prawn, geoduck, and additional Atlantic stocks such as deepwater redfish, witch flounder, and new lobster and snow crab fishing areas. Existing entries have been renumbered, some stock area descriptions have been reworded or geographically refined, and a French-language item number has been added alongside each English entry. Commercial fishers, licence holders, quota holders, and Indigenous harvesters who fish any of the newly listed or redefined stocks should review whether their fishery now falls under major stock obligations, as the expanded list may affect rebuilding plan requirements and related regulatory duties.

Who this affects: commercial fishers and licence holders · Indigenous harvesters · quota holders and fish buyers · fisheries compliance officers · aquaculture and processing operators dealing with listed stocks