July 15, 2024                                                                                        

Moncton, New Brunswick – The recreational striped bass fishery in the Gulf Region has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, bringing significant socio-economic benefits to Indigenous and coastal communities.  

As the striped bass stock in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence continues to show signs of growth, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced today an additional allocation of up to 125,000 striped bass for the development of communal commercial fisheries in Indigenous communities in the Gulf region. This is in addition to the 50,000 striped bass already allocated to the indigenous community of Natoaganeg, as part of a pilot project to develop a sustainable and viable communal commercial fishery. In the coming weeks, the Department will also begin consultations with commercial fish harvesters in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, including lobster harvesters, to assess the possibility that they could retain a certain number of striped bass caught as bycatch as early as 2025.

In recent years, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has taken steps to sustainably manage the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence striped bass stock by providing progressive access to Indigenous food, social and ceremonial fisheries, a communal commercial fishery, and recreational fisheries.