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Commercial salmon fishing licences

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Licence categories

To participate in the commercial salmon fishery, you require 1 of the following licence eligibilities:

Area and single-gear licensing

Single gear and area choice have been applied to salmon licence eligibilities since 1996. Gear selections that were made in 1996 are permanent and area selections that were made in 2007 are still in effect. Gears applicable within the salmon fishery include seine, gillnet or troll:

A vessel may not hold more than 1 salmon licence eligibility for the same area.

Area A Areas 1 to 10 and Subarea 101-7 (Salmon Seine - North Coast)
Area B Areas 11 to 29 and 121 (Salmon Seine - South Coast)
Area C Areas 1 to 10 and Subarea 101-7 (Salmon Gill net - North Coast)
Area D Areas 11 to 15 and 23 to 27 (Salmon Gill net - South Coast)
Area E Areas 16 to 22, 28, 29 and 121 (Salmon Gill net - South Coast)
Area F Areas 1 to 10, 101 to 110, 130 and 142 (Salmon Troll - North Coast)
Area G Areas 11, 20 to 27, 111, 121, 123 to 127 (Salmon Troll - WCVI/Q.C. Sound/Strait)
Area H Areas 12 to 19, 28 and 29 (Salmon Troll - Johnstone/Georgia St)

Licence issuance

All salmon vessel owners/licence eligibility holders are required to use the National Online Licensing System (NOLS) to view, pay for and print commercial fishing licences, conditions of licence and/or receipts.

Prior to licence issuance of a category NAG licence or communal commercial salmon licence, licence eligibility holders are required to annually designate the fishing vessel to hold the licence. The overall length (OAL) of the designated vessel may not exceed the maximum vessel length (MVL) of the category NAG licence eligibility or communal commercial salmon licence eligibility. This must be done by selecting Submit a Request in NOLS. See the User training manual page for full instructions.

Upon receipt of the licence renewal fee being paid, category A licences will be issued and notification sent via email to advise vessel owners/licence eligibility holders that a change has been made to the vessel owners/licence eligibility holders NOLS account. It will also advise that the salmon licence document, conditions of licence and receipt will be available to be printed at that time.

Licence stacking allows vessel owners to combine different gear and area licence eligibilities onto 1 vessel by permanently "stacking " additional salmon licences from other vessels onto their vessel. Different gear and area licences can be combined on 1 vessel. A vessel may not hold more than 1 licence for the same area.

A single salmon licence eligibility may be stacked to a vessel that is up to 30% longer in overall length than the overall length of the vessel from which the eligibility is being removed.

A salmon licence may not be separated from other licence eligibilities for the purpose of stacking.

Where salmon licence eligibilities tied to other licence eligibilities are stacked, the 30% is not applicable and stacking may not result in the stacking of licences other than salmon.

Licences eligible for a temporary placement (e.g. total loss of vessel) will not be permitted to be stacked.

An area change request may be made at the time of submission of application for licence stacking. The area change may only be requested for the licence eligibility that is being stacked. The owner of the receiving vessel must make the request by completion of the applicable section on an Application for salmon licence eligibility stacking form. Stacking applications are accepted between December 01 and May 31 annually.

Category "N" and "F" licence eligibilities may be stacked upon annual designation in compliance with all stacking rules except that they will not be tied to other salmon licence eligibilities and no area changes are permitted.

Vessel replacement (category A only)

A vessel replacement is conducted when the vessel owner(s) of a vessel that holds a limited entry vessel based licence eligibility (such as a salmon category A licence eligibility) makes an application to permanently/temporarily place the licence eligibility on another registered commercial fishing vessel.

Both the vessel that holds the licence eligibility and the replacement vessel are required to have a survey either on record or submitted with the Application to replace a commercial vessel form. Commercial vessel surveys must be dated after May 1, 1989 and conducted by a marine surveyor in accordance with current Fisheries and Oceans Canada vessel measurement guidelines. Only original surveys will be accepted.

The following vessel replacement rules are applicable to salmon category A licence eligibilities that are to be placed on a replacing vessel.

Along with the completed/notarized Application to replace a commercial vessel form, the following must be met or submitted where applicable:

Communal commercial and category NAG licence eligibilities are not eligible for vessel replacement as the licence eligibility is party based.

Temporary vessel replacements

An application to temporarily replace a vessel may be made if the vessel has been declared a "total loss", or the vessel is out of service due to an accident or unforeseen damage. Written confirmation from an insurance company, shipyard or marine engineer explaining why the vessel is inoperative is required.

In situations where vessels are in disrepair at the time of purchase, delays in annual maintenance or rebuilds do not qualify for temporary placement.

Licences eligible for a temporary placement (e.g. total loss of vessel) are not permitted to be stacked.

Stacking

Application for salmon licence eligibility stacking forms are accepted by the Pacific Fishery Licence Unit, between December 1 and May 31 annually.

A salmon category A licence may not be split from other vessel based licence eligibilities.

Different gear and area licences may be combined on 1 vessel. For example, 1 vessel may have a salmon gillnet licence eligibility and a salmon troll licence eligibility. Multiple licence eligibilities of the same gear may be stacked on 1 vessel, so long as each licence eligibility is for a different area. A vessel may not hold more than 1 licence eligibility for the same area.

For the purpose of stacking licences, a single salmon category A licence eligibility may be stacked to a vessel that is up to 30% longer in overall length than the overall length of the vessel from which the licence eligibility is being removed.

A salmon category A licence eligibility cannot be separated from other licence eligibilities. Salmon licences that are ‘married’ to other limited entry vessel based licence categories may be stacked, but the additional 30% in overall length is not applicable and the salmon stacking cannot result in the stacking of other licence categories, except where permitted for that licence category.

Reduced fee salmon licence eligibilities may be stacked with either another reduced fee licence or a full fee licence eligibilty, but the receiving vessel must be owned by an Indigenous individual with status.

Categories NAG and FA licence eligibilities may be stacked with any category A licence eligibility, full fee or reduced fee, or another NAG licence eligibility, in compliance with all stacking rules except that they will not be tied to the other salmon licence eligibility.

Licence area changes are not allowed when stacking a category NAG or FA licence.

Area change requests may be made at the time of submission of a stacking application. The area change request is only applicable to the licence eligibility that is being stacked. The owner of the receiving vessel may make the request by completing the applicable section of the request form. An area change may not result in a change to gear type. Gear selections may not be changed.

Vessel replacement rules for salmon licence eligibilities where no stacking is involved require the replacement vessel to remain at the exact overall length of, or smaller than, the existing vessel. Licences eligible for temporary vessel replacements (e.g. total loss of vessel) are not permitted to be stacked.

Stacking application requirements

Both vessels are required to have a survey either on record or submitted with this application. Commercial vessel surveys must be dated after May 1, 1989 and conducted by a marine surveyor in accordance with current Fisheries and Oceans Canada vessel measurement guidelines. Only original surveys are accepted.

If the salmon licence eligibility that is being stacked has been issued, the licence documents issued in respect of the vessel must be replaced once this application has been processed.

If the vessel from which the stacked salmon licence eligibility originated has been designated for limited entry category Z licences, those licences must be returned and redesignated to a suitable vessel at the time of application for salmon licence stacking. Unlimited entry category Z licences must be returned and cannot be redesignated.

Upon approval of a stacking application, the salmon licence eligibility is placed on the receiving vessel and a letter confirming this action is sent to the vessel owners and agent where applicable. A replacement licence is issued only if the licence had already been issued for the given year.

Please contact the Pacific Fishery Licence Unit at fishing-peche@dfo-mpo.gc.ca for advice with regard to the permanent or temporary placement or the stacking of salmon licence eligibilities.

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