Two moratoriums on seafood buyer and processing licenses, one that’s been in place since 1994 and the other since 2018, have been lifted by the Province of Nova Scotia.
“Now, more than ever, we have the opportunity to reimagine the economic potential of our traditional and natural resources,” said Kent Smith, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture in a media release. “Accepting applications from new entrants, or established businesses that want to diversify or expand their products, will help drive the economy and grow our seafood sector.”
In 2018, a moratorium on issuing new licences and adding species to existing licences was put in place while the Department conducted a review of its licencing regime. The review has been completed. The moratorium was a temporary measure to maintain fair competition and to reduce speculation during the review period.
“Extensive industry engagement has informed the Department’s approach to lift the moratorium in a responsible way. Engagement included meetings with the Nova Scotia Seafood Processors Advisory Committee (NSSPAC), individual seafood industry associations, individual licence holders, and the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia. Ending the licence moratorium will support sector growth and innovation. Existing licence holders will have the flexibility they need to take advantage of new opportunities and adapt to changing global markets,” said the Department.
The province will begin accepting applications for new licences on Aug. 1 for all species except for lobster buying and snow crab buying and processing. Lobster buying and snow crab buying and processing applications will start being accepted on January 2, 2026.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates that the government has been listening to industry, and we look forward to continuing those conversations. Lifting the moratorium and ensuring new entrants are qualified will support continued diversification of the shore sector and provide strong measures to ensure that the multi-generational family enterprises that are the basis of this industry will continue to contribute to strengthen the provincial economy while also welcoming new entrants,” said Kris Vascotto, executive director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance.
All applicants for new licences and species additions to existing licences will be required to submit a professional business plan which will be reviewed for reasonableness. The Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board will lend their expertise in reviewing the financial information of the application. The Department is developing new application forms and an external guide for developing a business plan which will be shared with industry prior to Aug. 1.
Applicants for lobster buying and snow crab buying and processing licences are expected to submit additional information, and applications will go through additional assessment. Lobster processing applications will not be subject to additional assessment. Details will be shared with industry prior to accepting applications in January.
“We are pleased with the Minister’s decision to lift the licensing moratorium. We strongly believe in a free market approach to fish buyer and fish processor licensing that is responsive to market conditions while also encouraging growth and innovation in the sector. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Minister and his Department as they set the regulatory conditions for our seafood sector to compete and thrive in the global seafood marketplace,” said Ian McIsaac, president of the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia
The province is also lifting the long-standing moratorium on issuing groundfish buying and processing licences, which has been in place since 1994 in response to declining groundfish resources and the DFO groundfish moratorium.
“At the time, it was believed that there was not enough resource to sustain viable groundfish operations and, therefore, adding new capacity was not in the best interest of the industry. Since this time, a lot has changed in Nova Scotia’s fish processing industry. The Department recognizes that there are opportunities in groundfish in 2025 and the licencing moratorium is impeding these opportunities. The Department is aware of the concerns of existing groundfish operators and intends to ensure any new entrant is qualified and operates in the best interest of the industry.”
Earlier this year, new licence conditions and other changes were implemented by the Province, including increasing effective period of licences, from one year to two years; making annual employment survey participation mandatory; establishing notification requirements when a licence holder or its shareholders has been charged or convicted of a fisheries-related offence; removing depuration facility requirements for soft-shell clam processors; increasing reporting requirements for lobster buyers, including requirements to record and report weight of dead loss, and report purchases from other buyers and sales; requiring fish processing licence holders to align with CFIA’s Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) regulations through possession of a SFC Record of Licence and appropriate SFC licence details at the time of processing; requiring elver buyers to own or lease an elver holding facility in Nova Scotia, limiting the buyers to using those facilities specified on the licence, and maintaining a valid possession licence issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for each facility.
“As a market and customer-focused seafood company, Sea Star needs a flexible and responsive licensing system that allows me access to the licences that I need when I need them so that I can grow my business. The moratorium has been an artificial barrier to maximizing the value of Nova Scotia’s seafood sector. I fully support the Minister’s intention to lift the licensing moratorium, and I want to thank him and his team for bringing the long-standing policy review to a close so that we can all refocus on selling our fish to the world,” said Kerry Cunningham, sales/procurement for Sea Star Seafoods on Cape Sable Island.
At $2.4 billion, fish and seafood products were Nova Scotia’s largest export commodity in 2024, accounting for 36 per cent of the province’s export goods. About 50 per cent of the industry is in southwest Nova Scotia.
There are 4,000 registered fishing vessels and more than 5,700 commercial fishing licence holders in Nova Scotia. There are currently 329 companies that have buying and/or processing licences in Nova Scotia. The industry supports about 20,000 jobs.
