C-237 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (Atlantic groundfish fisheries)
Chamber
commons
Stage
2nd Reading
Introduced
Sep 22, 2025
Progress
This bill standardizes recreational groundfish fishing rules across Atlantic provinces and creates a new fish catch monitoring system.
Key Changes
- Close times for recreational groundfish fishing must be harmonized across all Atlantic provinces
- Close times can only be set during a species' spawning period, not at other times
- Changes to close times or fishing quotas must be published online at least two months before taking effect
- The Minister must develop a fish catch monitoring system within one year of the Act coming into force
- Individuals may be required to report daily and seasonal fish catch numbers
- The Minister's annual report to Parliament on fisheries administration and enforcement is formalized
Gotchas
- The bill requires close times to only align with spawning periods, which could limit DFO's flexibility to close fisheries for other conservation reasons
- The monitoring system's costs may be covered by fees and penalties paid by fishers, potentially increasing costs for some participants
- The bill proposes fee reductions as an incentive for timely reporting, which could reduce government revenue from the fisheries sector
- Harmonization of rules across provinces may conflict with existing provincial or regional fisheries agreements or practices
- The two-month advance publication requirement for rule changes could slow DFO's ability to respond quickly to urgent conservation situations
Who's Affected
- Recreational groundfish fishers in Atlantic Canada
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)
- Atlantic provincial governments
- Fishing industry stakeholders and organizations
- Fish species subject to groundfish regulations (e.g., cod, haddock, halibut)
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill requires close times to only align with spawning periods, which could limit DFO's flexibility to close fisheries for other conservation reasons
- The monitoring system's costs may be covered by fees and penalties paid by fishers, potentially increasing costs for some participants
- The bill proposes fee reductions as an incentive for timely reporting, which could reduce government revenue from the fisheries sector
- Harmonization of rules across provinces may conflict with existing provincial or regional fisheries agreements or practices
- The two-month advance publication requirement for rule changes could slow DFO's ability to respond quickly to urgent conservation situations
Summary
Bill C-237 amends the Fisheries Act to improve how Atlantic groundfish fisheries are managed, particularly for recreational fishing. It requires that the rules about when fishing is closed (called 'close times') be the same across all Atlantic provinces, and that these closures only happen during a fish species' spawning period. It also requires that any changes to fishing rules be posted online at least two months before they take effect, giving fishers more advance notice. The bill also requires the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to develop a monitoring system within one year that tracks how many fish are caught, by species, and records when and where they were caught. This system would be developed with input from key stakeholders. The bill also expands reporting requirements so that individuals can be required to report how many fish they catch each day and in total during an open season. The bill was introduced to bring more consistency, transparency, and predictability to recreational groundfish fishing in Atlantic Canada, and to improve data collection on fish stocks.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses
Recorded Votes
| Date | Description | Yeas | Nays | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2026 | 2nd reading of Bill C-237, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (Atlantic groundfish fisheries) | 134 | 197 | Negatived |