A small-scale, experimental pilot project on striped bass bycatch launched by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in lobster fishing area (LFA) 25 for the 2024 fishing season was expanded to include all remaining LFAs in DFO’s Gulf region in 2025.
“The pilot project in 2024 was conducted on a small-scale to help the Department better understand and quantify the incidence, distribution, condition and composition of striped bass bycatch in lobster traps in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Industry members were consulted on the project’s design and to identify participants. It involved approximately 10 to 15 participants per administrative area: Prince Edward Island, Gulf Nova Scotia and Eastern New Brunswick. A total of 408 striped bass were caught in 75,320 traps set,” said Naomi Librach, Fisheries and Oceans Canada media relations, Gulf Region.
“In 2025, the project was expanded to include all remaining lobster fishing areas (LFAs) in DFO’s Gulf region, with a target participation rate set at 25 per cent of all active lobster licence holders per LFA and sub-LFA. This represented approximately 700 potential participants across the administrative region. Although final numbers are still being confirmed, preliminary estimates indicate that overall participation uptake for the spring lobster fisheries in LFAs 23, 24 and 26 was lower than expected,” said Librach, adding data on striped bass landings are not available yet.
The pilot project was also conducted in the LFA 25 fishery in 2025, which runs from Aug. 9 to Oct. 10.
Management measures for the pilot project included the requirement that all striped bass retained must measure between 50 and 65 cm and all others returned to the water. A maximum of four striped bass were allowed onboard the vessel at all times. Striped bass caught within the possession and size limits as part of this experimental pilot project can be used as bait, but the sale and gifting of retained striped bass was not permitted.
The information gathered throughout the pilot project will undergo a comprehensive evaluation after the fishing season, which could inform decisions to modify management measures in the future regarding the retention of striped bass, said DFO.
“Data quality, consistency and reliability will be important to providing valuable information for future decision-making.”
Commercial gaspareau (alewife) fishermen in eastern New Brunswick operating on the Miramichi River system were also allowed to retain striped bass this year through a fisheries management order in effect from June 20 to July 5. The sale of retained striped bass was allowed.
Librach said the gaspereau harvesters were allowed to retain a daily amount of up to 500 striped bass measuring between 50 and 65 centimeters that were caught in their trap nets as bycatch.
“The temporary measure aimed to address the spikes in striped bass bycatch rates reported by gaspereau harvesters and responded to unique fishing conditions this year, including the later than usual spawning period. In total, 10 gaspereau harvesters reported retaining 1,354 striped bass measuring between 50 cm and 65 cm,” said Librach.
The decision was welcomed by the Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU).
“This is good news. It will allow the department to gather more data on the species. We will also continue to work with DFO to ensure that sound management practices are put in place for the coming years that will also allow our members to continue to practice their trade,” said MFU President Réjean Comeau.
The move opened up market development, with fish markets in eastern New Brunswick offering their customers fresh striped bass caught locally this summer.
“With management methods that take into account all parties and environmental realities, it is possible to allow commercial striped bass fishing for our coastal fishermen and First Nations, and to maintain recreational fishing while keeping the biomass healthy. Striped bass is an excellent fish and a resource that should be enjoyed by as many people as possible,” said Comeau.
The natural range of striped bass extends along the Atlantic coast of North America, from the St. Lawrence Estuary to the St. Johns River in northeast Florida. In Canada, it can be found in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Bay of Fundy and the St. Lawrence River.
“In 2023 and 2024, the striped bass population of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence was in the cautious zone of the precautionary approach (PA) framework. The abundance has been observed to fluctuate year-over-year with substantial increases in both 2022 and 2023, followed by a substantial decrease in 2024. The St. Lawrence River striped bass population is listed as an endangered species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA),” said Librach.
Striped bass is caught incidentally in a number of coastal fisheries of the DFO Gulf Region, including the lobster, gaspereau, smelt, silverside and other fisheries. Retention is currently only allowed as part of the pilot project in the lobster fishery.
“In the DFO Maritimes Region, certain commercial fisheries allow for the retention of striped bass. The gaspereau trap net fishery in Southwest New Brunswick, gaspereau and shad drift net fisheries in Eastern Nova Scotia, and the Minas Basin herring weir fishery allows for the retention of one incidentally caught striped bass, per day, for personal use. The Minas Basin weir fishery has the added condition of a maximum of 20 striped bass that may be retained as bycatch, per season. In all of these fisheries, striped bass must be 68 cm or longer in order to be retained, and the sale of incidentally caught striped bass is prohibited,” said Librach.
“In 2024, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced an additional allocation of up to 125,000 striped bass for the development of communal commercial fisheries in Indigenous communities of the DFO Gulf region. This was in addition to the 50,000 striped bass already allocated to the Indigenous community of Natoaganeg in New Brunswick, as part of a pilot project that started in 2018 to develop a sustainable and viable communal commercial fishery. Since the announcement, there are now three First Nation communities in New Brunswick that have a commercial communal licence: Natoaganeg, Elsipogtog and Indian Island. A few other First Nations are in contact with DFO to develop a commercial communal fishery. There are no other targeted commercial striped bass fisheries in Atlantic Canada,” said Librach.
There are striped bass recreational fisheries in DFO’s Maritimes Region and Gulf Region, as well as in Québec, where both the inland and coastal striped bass fisheries are managed by the provincial government.
