GVO-2025-011

The Regional Director General for the Gulf Region, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, hereby gives notice of the changes varying the seasons and quotas for recreational fishing for groundfish in the following waters of Division 4T.

Please find below, the following changes to the Groundfish recreational fishing seasons and quota in the waters of Division 4T:

The waters from the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord lying upstream of a line joining Pointe Noire, Baie-Sainte-Catherine (48°07’24”N, 69°43’00”W) to Pointe Rouge, Tadoussac (48°08’06”N, 69°42’06”W):

• Open season: From April 15 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain five (5) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the St. Lawrence River within 50 meters of the coastline between Baie-Saint-Paul and Tadoussac in the Province of Québec:

• Open seasons: From April 15 to June 30 and from August 7 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) cod, white hake, haddock, pollock, skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish.

The waters of Division 4T not mentioned above, adjacent to the Province of Quebec off the North shore of the St. Lawrence River between Baie-Saint-Paul and Tadoussac:

• Open season: From July 1 to August 6, 2025, every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, including  a combination of five (5) cod and/or white hake, except zero (0) retention of skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the St. Lawrence River within 50 meters of the coastline between Tadoussac and Pointe-des-Monts in the Province of Québec:

• Open seasons: From April 15 to June 30 and from August 7 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) cod, white hake, haddock, pollock, skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish.

The waters of Division 4T not mentioned above, adjacent to the Province of Quebec off the North shore of the St. Lawrence River between Tadoussac and Pointe-des-Monts:

• Open season: From July 1 to August 6, 2025, every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, including  a combination of five (5) cod and/or white hake, except zero (0) retention of skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the St. Lawrence River and the Bay of Chaleurs within 50 meters of the coastline adjacent to the lower St. Lawrence River and Gaspésie Peninsula in the Province of Québec:

• Open seasons: From April 15 to June 23 and from July 9 to July 16 and from August 8 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) cod, white hake, haddock, pollock, skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish.

The waters of Division 4T not mentioned above, adjacent to the Province of Quebec off the shores of the lower St. Lawrence River and Gaspésie Peninsula:

• Open seasons: From June 24 to July 8 and from July 17 to August 7, 2025, every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, including  a combination of five (5) cod and/or white hake, except zero (0) retention of skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence within 50 meters of the coastline of the Magdalen Islands (Division 4T2a):

• Open seasons: From April 15 to July 14 and August 21 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) cod, white hake, haddock, pollock, skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the portion of Division 4T, known as 4T2a, adjacent to the Magdalen Islands, not mentioned above:

• Open season: From July 15 to August 20, 2025, every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, including  a combination of five (5) cod and/or white hake, except zero (0) retention of skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait within 50 meters of the coastline adjacent to the Province of New Brunswick:

• Open seasons: From April 15 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) cod, white hake, haddock, pollock, skate, halibut, northern wolffish, atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait adjacent to the Province of New-Brunswick:

• Open season: From July 16 to August 21, 2025, every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, including  a combination of five (5) cod and/or white hake, except zero (0) retention of skate, halibut, northern wolffish, atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait within 50 meters of the coastline of the Province of Nova Scotia adjacent to the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait between the border of New Brunswick/Nova Scotia and the wharf at Auld’s Cove (Guysborough County) and between the old wharf at Creignish (Inverness County) to Cape North (Victoria County):

• Open seasons: From April 15 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) cod, white hake, haddock, pollock, skate, halibut, northern wolffish, atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait adjacent to the Province of Nova Scotia:

• Open season: From August 1 to September 5, 2025, every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, including  a combination of five (5) cod and/or white hake, except zero (0) retention of skate, halibut, northern wolffish, atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait within 50 meters of the coastline adjacent to the Province of Prince Edward Island:

• Open season: From April 15 to October 1, 2025.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain five (5) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, except zero (0) cod, white hake, haddock, pollock, skate, halibut, northern wolffish, Atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish.

The waters of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait adjacent to the Province of Prince Edward Island:

• Open season: From August 1 to September 5, 2025, every day from sunrise to sunset.
• Daily Bag Limit: Each person engaged in recreational fishing can, in any day, catch and retain fifteen (15) groundfish of all species in the aggregate, including  a combination of five (5) cod and/or white hake, except zero (0) retention of skate, halibut, northern wolffish, atlantic wolffish, and spotted wolffish.

Anglers are reminded that the following waters are closed to recreational fishing for groundfish beginning on April 8, 2025 to December 31, 2025:

All waters of Division 4T except those waters aforementioned.

That portion of Division 4T inside a strait line joining the following points in the order which they are listed:

Point North Latitude West Longitude

1. 47º52’00"N    64º22’00"W
2.  47º52’00"N    64º02’00"W
3.  48º15’00"N    64º02’00"W
4.  48º15’00"N    64º22’00"W
5.  47º52’00"N    64º22’00"W

(known as Miscou Box)

and

Point  North Latitude  West Longitude

1.  47º33’00"N     64º54’00"W
2.  47º33’00"N     63º26’42"W
3.  47º03’15"N     64º00’00"W
4.  47º00’48"N     64º49’40"W
5.  47º33’00"N     64º53’60"W

(known as Shediac Valley)

Note: When the geographic boundary of an area is expressed in Latitude and Longitude those point references are based on the geodesic system North American Datum 1983 (NAD83). Positions are expressed in degrees, minutes, seconds.

Refer to Gulf Region Close Time Variation Order 2025-011 issued on April 8, 2025. For further information regarding this Order, please contact your local Fishery Officer.  To receive an electronic copy of all future Variation Orders issued by the Gulf Region, please email DFO.GLFOrders-OrdonnancesGLF.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca and provide your email address to be placed on our Variation Orders distribution list. Notices of all active variation and prohibition orders can be viewed on the Web site of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Gulf Region, under Orders Registry.

Gulf Region Close Time and Quota Variation Order 2025-001 is hereby revoked.

Gulf Region Close Time and Quota Variation Order 2025-011 comes into force on April 8, 2025.

Céline Gaudet

Regional Director General

Gulf Region