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Notice to Fish Harvesters - Seal Fishery Closing - nf.26.026

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Notice to Fish Harvesters – Seal Fishery Closing – nf.26.026
February 23, 2026

FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA

NOTICE TO FISH HARVESTERS

nf.26.026B

2026-014

Feb. 23, 2026

Seal Fishery Closing

DFO advises that both the Commercial fishery and Personal Use fishery for Harp seals and Hooded seals will close in all areas to all seal harvesters and all fleets based in Newfoundland and Labrador at 1800 hours on March 1, 2026.

This is the annual closure to allow time for Seal whelping and nursing.

Re-opening dates for the 2026 season for these Seal fisheries, in both the Gulf and on the Front, will be announced at a later date.

The Regional Director General, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Regions gives notice that Variation Order 2025-036 has been revoked, and Variation Order 2026-014 comes into effect on February 24, 2026.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: https://www.nfl.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/en.

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.

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For information, contact:
Chelsea O’Driscoll
Senior Resource Manager
Resource Management and Indigenous Fisheries
Chelsea.ODriscoll@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
709-685-2942

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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.