Federal regulationCanada Gazette, Part IComment Period Closed
Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made under the Fisheries Act (Unattended Fishing Gear)
Sponsoring body: Fisheries and Oceans, Dept. ofIntroduced July 4, 2026Last checked August 25, 2026
Read the official text on gazette.gc.caOfficial version — Canada Gazette, Part I
What this regulation does
This regulation removes the fixed 72-hour maximum soak time rules for unattended fishing gear from three Atlantic fishery regulations, replacing them with flexible, fishery-specific soak time limits set through individual fishing licence conditions managed by DFO.
Plain-language summary by Legisail.
Business impact
Compliance
Commercial fish harvesters using fixed gear — such as traps, pots, gillnets, and longlines — in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nunavut are the primary businesses affected. The change means your soak time limits will now appear on your fishing licence rather than in a one-size-fits-all federal regulation, giving offshore operators and larger fleets more realistic timelines that better match their actual operations. DFO has confirmed there are no new compliance costs — the same soak time limits you follow today will simply be written into your licence conditions from day one, with changes only coming after proper assessment. The one practical difference is that violating a licence condition now carries a $750 set fine rather than the previous $500 or $250 under the regulations.
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Where this regulation is
Proposed
Comment period closed
Final publicationPending
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