Fishing industry

---

Fishing is the principal activity on the Îles de la Madeleine. It supports the economy and shapes the Islanders' way of life. For the visitor, fishing is a subject of curiosity, a reason to explore, a chance to walk around the wharves, buy fresh fish for dinner and enjoy a pleasant chat with the fishermen. Early in the morning, the wharves bustle with activity. What a pleasure breathing the fresh salt sea air at the fishing ports when most people are still sleeping! For seafood lovers, fish markets and grocery stores offer a variety of fish and seafood. Here is a brief description of the different types of fishing common to the Islands.

Shellfish/Crustaceans

---

Lobster

Every year in May, fishermen set their lobster traps off the coast. The lobster season, which usually lasts about ten weeks, starting from the closest Monday to May 6, is strictly regulated. 326 fishing licenses are issued for the Îles de la Madeleine region, and the crew of each boat (2 to 3 men) may not set more than 300 traps. Each cage is identified by a tag provided by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Spawning female lobsters and lobsters not meeting regulation size must be set free. The total lobster catch reaches nearly two million kilograms yearly.

Lobster fishermen leave port at around 3 o'clock in the morning to reach the area where they pull up and empty their traps. They then re-bait the traps and return them to the sea. With their catch aboard, the fishermen return to their homeports in the afternoon to prepare for the next day's fishing.

Since lobster fishing is so physically demanding, visitors should understand that it is difficult to give tours on a real lobster fishing boat. However, interesting fishing interpretation trips are available and the restaurants serving lobster can't wait to see you! You can also participate in the lively activities surrounding the opening day of the lobster fishing season in May.

Snow Crab

This big deep-sea shellfish has been fished commercially in the Islands for many years. This is identified as a “midshore fishery”. Fishermen go more than 40-km west-southwest of the Islands in 20-meter (65 feet) boats to set their large traps. The snow crab lives in very deep water, 45 to 275 meters. It is fished in April or May as soon as the ice in the Gulf has gone and the season ends when fishing quotas have been attained. Fresh snow crab can be bought at many seafood markets and counters as well as in most restaurants.

Molluscs

---

Scallops

This mollusc is fished south of the Islands from 14-m boats between April and July. The scallop fishermen use special drags to scrape the seabed and then bring up the shellfish. They then quickly shell their catch before returning to port so that they will only have to unload a few white webbed sacks containing their entire catch.

A new experiment is under way under the responsibility of Pétoncle 2000, whose owners are the fishermen. With local interest groups, this organization has developed a new farming process involving the capture and nurturing of scallop eggs. The farmed scallops are used to reseed and therefore replenish the fishing grounds around the archipelago to ensure the stock is maintained at a safe level. Many millions of young scallops that were grown in a lagoon have been successfully reintroduced to their natural environment. Marketing of farmed scallops has been very successful. In 2001, Pétoncle 2000 received the "Mérite National des pêches et de l'aquaculture" award for their project. This experiment has served as a model for further development in the Quebec fisheries. It is also an excellent example of the fisherman's determination to grasp and solve the problem of diminishing scallop stocks, thus ensuring a successful commercial fishery.

Blue Mussel

Locally, the blue mussel was not exploited very much on a commercial basis because the market for it did not exist. Since the spring of 1984, the blue mussel has been farmed in the Islands' lagoons to meet the demands of this new market. The farmed mussel has many obvious advantages in quality compared to the wild mussel. Suspended in water while it grows, the mussel contains neither sand nor small bits of gravel, allowing it to grow faster and offering two to three times more meat than the wild mussel.

The technique used for farming mussels is rather simple. The mussel farmers put collectors into the water to attract and fix young mussels in compact groups. The collectors are put into the water in June and are taken out in September. By this time, the mussels are between 15 and 25 mm (.5 to 1 inch) long. They are then placed in growing rolls made from netted sacks and suspended in lagoons for one year before reaching commercial size (50 mm or 2 inches). Fresh mussels can be purchased in fish shops all over the Islands as well as in the grocery stores. Prepared mussels are also available, vacuum packed, canned or in chowder. Many restaurants offer mussels on their menu during the season.

Clams (quahogs)

Clams (quahogs) are fished along the shores of lagoons. Although it is legal to dig clams in most places on the Islands, some zones are closed because there is a risk of contamination.









According to new regulations, in effect since 2004, clams gathered must be over 51 mm (2 in). There is presently an experimental clam farm at Baie du Cap Vert in Fatima. This business has not yet reached the stage where it can produce a marketable product, but clams are available in the many fish shops and groceries on the Islands.

Fishes

---

Herring

This pelagic species, when salted and smoked in huge smokehouses, was once the pride and joy of the Madelinots. Then, for a time, herring was used almost exclusively as a mash or bait in lobster traps. Unfortunately, during the 70s, herring stocks decreased drastically, and as a result, almost all the smokehouses on the archipelago were destroyed because people thought the herring would never come back. Increasing stocks over the last few years have revitalized the smoking industry in the Islands. We would like to think that this recovery is only the beginning, heralding the return of certain species, like cod, that have traditionally filled our fishermen's nets. At present there is a cottage-industry old-time smokehouse, Le Fumoir d'Antan, and a commercial smokehouse, Pêcheries Gros-Cap, that market smoked herring in different formats. Make it a point during your visit to the islands to savour these local delicacies.

Mackerel

Mackerel is a pelagic species found in large numbers (schools) off the coasts around the beginning of August. It is fished from almost all the Islands' ports until the beginning of autumn. Commercial mackerel fishing is done with nets. Fishing mackerel with rod and reel from a boat is a sport you can enjoy on day-trip excursions and with guided fishing excursions. You can also fish from the docks or from some spots on the shore.

Other Species

Until recently, the groundfish that were considered the mainstay of the fishing industry in the archipelago, have been over-fished and compromised by other factors difficult to identify. There is currently a moratorium on ocean perch, until such time as the stocks increase enough to support a commercial fishery. Cod fishing, after being re-opened in 1997, was the object of a new moratorium in 2003. Even inshore fishing, which has been the most lucrative fishing industry since the beginning of the colony, is prohibited except for personal consumption. Cod is being considered for the list of endangered species in Canada (COSEWIC). Flounder is fished from smaller boats similar to those used to fish lobster; however, here also there is an alarming decline in the biomass.

Pub