Skip to content

Notice to Fish Harvesters - 2026 SNOW CRAB SEASON OPENING in 3Ps - nf.26.054

Home
DFO Fisheries Announcements
Notice to Fish Harvesters – 2026 SNOW CRAB SEASON OPENING in 3Ps – nf.26.054
March 31, 2026

FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA

NOTICE TO FISH HARVESTERS

nf.26.054B

2026-026

Mar. 31, 2026

2026 SNOW CRAB SEASON OPENING in 3Ps

Fisheries and Oceans Canada advises that the Snow Crab fishery in 3Ps will open on the following dates:

Crab Management Areas 10B and 11S will open at 0600 hours on April 2, 2026, for the purpose of travelling to the fishing ground. Fish harvesters are reminded that they are not authorized to set Crab traps until 72 hours after the Snow Crab fishery season has opened. Therefore, any setting of Crab traps or possession of Crab before 0600 hours on April 5, 2026, is prohibited.

Crab Management Areas 10A, 11E and 11W will open at 0001 hours on April 5, 2026, for the purpose of travelling to the fishing ground. Fish harvesters are reminded that they are not authorized to set Crab traps until 6 hours after the Snow Crab fishery season has opened. Therefore, any setting of Crab traps or possession of Crab 0600 hours on April 5, 2026, is prohibited.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Regions gives notice that Variation Order 2025-275 has been revoked, and Variation Order 2026-026 comes into effect on April 1, 2026.

Notices to Fish Harvesters for all commercial fisheries are available online in the Fishery Notices section of the DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region webpage at Newfoundland and Labrador Region.

If you would like to have all Notices to Fish Harvesters for commercial fisheries sent to you directly by email, please contact: NLPRI@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

-30-

For information, contact:
Terri Healey
Resource Manager
Tel.: (709)685-3998
E-mail: Terri.Healey@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Martin Henri
Senior Resource Manager
Resource Management and Indigenous Fisheries
Tel: (709) 693-4744
Email: martin.henri@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Latest News

Fairness is EVERYTHING: Plant Workers Demand ASP Get Back to Table

CRAB NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE: NO CRAB PROCESSED IN NL UNTIL FAIR PRICE

Northern Cod Assessment Shows Stock in Healthy Zone

MEDIA RELASE: FFAW Responds to ASP Letter to Premier on Snow Crab and Buyers’ Licences

MEDIA RELEASE: FFAW Snow Crab Negotiating Working Group Halts Price Talks Pending Minister’s Management Plan 

News Categories

Dr. Erin Carruthers

Dr. Erin Carruthers is the Science Director and Senior Fisheries Scientist with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), which is the labour union that represents the owner-operator fleet in Newfoundland and Labrador. The FFAW is committed to research and management that supports healthy oceans, fisheries, and coastal communities. Dr. Carruthers received her Ph. D. in Biology from Memorial University in 2011 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. Before coming to Newfoundland, Erin worked as a Research Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the St. Andrews Biological Station. Her current research program is co-constructed with fish harvesters and includes research on coastal fishing communities, collaborative longline and trap surveys, and best practices for the avoidance, handling and release of unwanted catch.