Moncton, New-Brunswick (NB) – July 9, 2026 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Gulf Region, announces the 2026 management measures for Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 25. Unless indicated otherwise, existing management measures remain in place. Please refer to your lobster licence conditions for further details. The licence conditions will be available on the National Online Licensing System (NOLS) at a later date.
Season opening dates
In 2025, DFO announced a 5-year schedule of predetermined season opening dates for the lobster fishery in LFA 25 from 2025 to 2029. The initiative aims to provide greater predictability for fish harvesters, processors, and other related sectors, allowing for improved planning as well as pre-season preparation. Weather calls will remain a key requirement to ensure safe openings and may lead to slight variations of those dates.
| Year | Opening Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday, August 11th |
| 2026 | Monday, August 10th |
| 2027 | Monday, August 9th |
| 2028 | Tuesday, August 8th |
| 2029 | Tuesday, August 7th |
In accordance with the pre-established schedule, the fishing season in LFA 25 will open on August 10, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. The season will close on October 11, 2026. The opening of the fishery is subject to weather conditions. If the lobster season opening is delayed, the season could be shifted one day for one day at the end of the season, up to a maximum of 4 days.
New in 2026
Mandatory in 2026 - Increase minimum height of escape mechanism
As announced in 2025, effective in 2026, the minimum required height of the escape opening for traps with an opening length between 127 mm and less than 254 mm will increase from 44 mm to 45 mm.
Changes to Reporting of Lost / Retrieved Fishing Gear
DFO is advising fish harvesters of changes in the conditions of licences related to lost and retrieved fishing gear. Please consult the document 2026 - Conditions of Licence : Changes to Reporting of Lost / Retrieved Fishing Gear for additional information.
Reporting of lost and retrieved fishing gear will be phased out of electronic logbook (ELOG) applications.
Until the reporting functionality is removed from ELOG, submissions will continue to be accepted; however, fish harvesters are strongly encouraged to begin using the Fishing Gear Reporting System (FGRS) or approved paper reporting forms immediately.
Lost or retrieved fishing gear should be reported to DFO using one of the following methods:
- Fishing Gear Reporting System (FGRS).
- Paper Form (completed forms must be submitted to DFO in accordance with the instructions provided on the form).
- FGRS Offline – Available for use on a mobile phone. The application must be installed while connected to the internet before departing for an area with limited or no connectivity. Installation and user instructions are available at Reporting lost gear while offline.
Green Crab
A new management measure coming into effect this year allows European Green Crab incidentally captured in lobster traps to be used as bait, subject to certain conditions. This management measure is intended to support control efforts and limit the spread of this invasive species through fishing activities. Please refer to your lobster licence conditions for further details.
Other management measures for the 2026 fishing season
No fishing on season opening day
Activities on opening day will be limited to trap setting only. No person shall haul lobster traps, or have lobster on board the vessel, until 04:00 hours local time the day following the opening of the lobster season.
Mandatory electronic logbook (ELOG)
The use of an ELOG is mandatory since 2025 for commercial and communal commercial harvesters fishing lobster in LFA 25. The use of paper logbooks is no longer accepted.
Harvesters must acquire and use an ELOG application approved by DFO: Qualified electronic logbooks (ELOG) client applications.
More information on ELOG is available at the following links:
- 2026 - Gulf Region Electronic Logbooks (ELOGs) Newsletter: Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Lobster Fishery
- Electronic logbooks (ELOGS)
Questions surrounding the purchase of or support for ELOG software should be directed to the individual ELOG application provider.
For any additional questions regarding the National ELOG program, contact DFO at 1-877-535-7307 from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00 (Atlantic Time), excluding holidays, or at the following email: fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
Experimental pilot project - retention of striped bass bycatch in lobster fisheries
Please note that the small-scale experimental pilot project launched in 2024 in LFA 25, which permits the retention of striped bass caught as bycatch in the lobster fishery, will continue in 2026. This will allow DFO to gather additional data on the prevalence, distribution, condition, and composition of striped bass captured in lobster traps. Please see Notice to Fish Harvesters: 2025 - Experimental striped bass (Morone Saxatilis) bycatch pilot project in the Gulf Region Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 23, 24, 25, 26A and 26B.
Carapace size
The minimum lobster carapace size will be 79 mm in LFA 25 in 2026.
Curfew
The daily close time is from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., including the first 48 hours of the fishing season. There is no curfew during the last 48 hours of the fishing season.
Management measures to minimize interactions with North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW):
The 2026 fisheries management measures to protect NARW in Canadian waters are online at the following link: Fishery notices related to North Atlantic right whales.
- Since 2024, Notices of Fishing Prohibition to protect NARW are applied in the licence conditions, rather than issuing a variation order.
The requirements to minimize the length of rope floating on the surface of the water remain in effect:
- The total cumulative length of rope between a primary buoy and a secondary buoy shall not be more than 3.7 meters.
- No rope attaching a lobster trap to a primary buoy shall remain floating on the surface of the water after the lobster trap has been set.
The gear marking requirements remain in effect, and the measures have been published in a Notice to Fish Harvesters available at the following link: Mandatory colour scheme for gear marking in Eastern Canada.
Restrictions on the movement of lobster licences
For information on restrictions related to the transfer of lobster licences, refer to the Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for the Gulf Region at the following link: Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for the Gulf Region.
Transit Corridors
The transit corridors in LFAs 23 and 24 remain in effect. A Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) is required (every 5 minutes) when using a transit corridor. The corridors allow fish harvesters to transport their catches through the area to reach their homeport, thereby avoiding the use of a smack boat.
The opening and closing dates of the season will remain as indicated in the Fisheries Regulations or as announced by Variation Order. The coordinates of the transit corridors are identified in the applicable Variation Order and in the licence conditions of those using the corridor.
Administrative area |
Minimum legal carapace size (mm) | Maximum size females (mm) | Maximum number of traps | Minimum number of traps per line | Maximum hoop size (mm) | Minimum size (mm) of escape mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Edward Island (PEI) | 79 | 115 | 250 | N/A | 152 | 451 x 127 or 43 x 254 |
| New Brunswick (NB) | 79 | 115 | 250 | N/A | 152 | 451 x 127 or 43 x 254 |
| Gulf Nova Scotia (GNS) | 79 | 115 | 225 | N/A | 152 | 451 x 127 or 43 x 254 |
Notes: 1 Effective in 2026, the minimum escape-opening height for traps with opening lengths of 127 mm to less than 254 mm increases from 44 mm to 45 mm.
Before you go fishing:
DFO has compiled a list of requirements and documents that fish harvesters will need before they begin fishing. This list is available at: Before you start fishing, you will need.