Canada and France have agreed on how to divide halibut stock in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean after months of negotiations and tension between the Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and French officials.
Canada and France share Atlantic halibut quota off the coast of Newfoundland, as France still controls the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Tensions over halibut catch rose after the DFO said it became aware that French fishing vessels from the islands, as well as vessels from the Faroe Islands, were fishing for Atlantic halibut next door to Canada’s territorial waters – potentially impacting Canada’s fishery.
"We are deeply concerned about the impacts of this activity on the sustainability of this important fish stock, and we will take further actions as appropriate," DFO spokesperson Axel Rioux said in June 2024.
At the same time as officials were sounding the alarm about vessels participating in the halibut fishery, DFO was also warning Canadian fishing vessels to avoid participating in France’s fishery.
The CBC reported that a French-flagged vessel landed 30 metric tons (MT) of halibut in St. Pierre and Miquelon, all caught outside Canada’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). That catch raised more concerns from fishermen, who said it could ...
