Our Commitment to Sustainability
Management
Measures
Management
Measures
The BC trawl fishery operates under a strict, science-based management system. Measures include mandatory 100% at-sea monitoring, individual quotas, area closures to protect sensitive habitats, and gear modifications to reduce ecosystem impacts. The Deep Sea Trawlers Association (DSTA) works closely with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to coordinate industry participation and ensure compliance with sustainability standards and compliance to regulations. Meanwhile, the Canadian Groundfish Research and Conservation Society (CGRCS) provides essential scientific research and conservation efforts that inform management decisions, supports stock assessments, and advocates for responsible fishing practices. Together, the industry, government, and research groups collaborate to ensure sustainable, responsible harvesting practices.
How the BC Trawl Groundfish
fishery is managed responsibly
Limited Entry
Participation in the BC trawl fishery is controlled through a limited entry licensing system.
100% Monitoring
The trawl fleet has 100% at-sea monitoring and dockside monitoring.
Total Allowable Catch Limits
Each year, science-based assessments set a Total Allowable Catch for each species or species group.
Trawl Footprint
Award winning trawl footprint limiting fishing areas.
Our Commitment
Management Measures
Limited Entry Licences
Participation in the BC trawl fishery is controlled through a limited entry licensing system. Only a set number of licences are issued, helping to prevent overcapacity and ensuring the fishery remains sustainable and economically viable.
DFO sets the number of available licences, issues and manages them, and controls the rules around how licences can be bought, sold, or transferred. In the BC Trawl Groundfish fishery, there are 142 commercial licences referred to as “T” and 3 First Nation ones referred to as “FT” licenses.
Total Allowable Catch
TACs (Total Allowable Catch) for each species or species group are stable from year to year and are reviewed regularly by DFO Groundfish Managers in collaboration with Science, First Nations, Industry and other stakeholders through advisory processes upon completion of Stock Assessments or as needed and adjustments are made. The TACs are a reflection of DFO’s Precautionary Approach to Fishery Management, and ensure that stocks are harvested well within sustainable limits, based on the best available science. This shared approach helps ensure sustainable harvest levels across multiple species. Each license holder is allocated a specific TAC for each species that they cannot exceed in the fishing season, and strict monitoring and regulation ensure this.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) sets the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for each species. We support this process through collaborative efforts that include scientific stock assessments, industry-led research, and input from advisory committees including but not limited to, First Nations, industry, and environmental groups. This shared approach helps ensure sustainable harvest levels. Strict monitoring and regulation ensure TACs are not exceeded.
The trawl fleet has 100% at-sea monitoring, meaning every fishing trip is independently observed from the time the vessel leaves the harbour until it returns and the fish is validated at the offload. All monitoring footage is independently reviewed by a third party certified by DFO to ensure objective validation of catch data. This ensures that all catch, including bycatch, is recorded accurately, supporting compliance, research, and ecosystem-based management. Vessels are also equipped with sensors to verify catch areas and ensure compliance with regulations.
Validation
Upon landing, 100% of all catches are independently verified through dockside monitoring programs. This “validation” process ensures that what is reported at sea matches what is offloaded, adding an additional layer of accountability.
Dockside monitors are trained professionals from independent, certified companies, like Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. They verify the catch at the dock to ensure compliance with reporting and sustainability rules, adding an extra layer of transparency.
Once the fish has been independently validated the totals are then subtracted from the vessel’s IVQ to ensure that harvests do not exceed the vessel’s TAC.
Quota Transfers
T Licenses are assigned individual quotas but can transfer quota between other trawl licences & within the integrated groundfish fisheries, to cover any overages and to provide flexibility to individuals/entities based on fishing plans and markets . This flexibility allows vessels to adjust their fishing plans responsibly while ensuring that total catches stay within sustainable limits for each species. Quota transfers are managed and approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
British Columbia’s groundfish trawl fishery is recognized globally for its leadership in habitat conservation and ecosystem-based management. In 2012, industry and environmental organizations came together to create the BC Groundfish Trawl Habitat Conservation Collaboration Agreement. This initiative introduced the world’s first tools like habitat quotas and permanent closures of sensitive areas. The agreement set a new global standard for how fisheries can balance ecological stewardship with economic sustainability. Less than 6% of the BC coast is actively trawled on. This area is coastal mud, sand, and gravel.
Logbooks
Logbooks are a critical part of the BC groundfish trawl fishery’s science-based management system, particularly in supporting the Trawl Habitat Conservation Agreement. Every commercial trawl vessel is required to maintain detailed logbooks, which record information such as tow location, depth, gear use, and bycatch, including any encounters with coral and sponge. This data is cross-verified with independent observers and electronic monitoring as part of the fishery’s 100% at-sea monitoring requirement. Logbooks play a direct role in enforcing the Habitat Conservation Bycatch Limit (HCBL) and triggering the Encounter Protocol when bycatch exceeds thresholds, helping protect sensitive areas in real time. The data also informs the work of the Habitat Review Committee, contributes to stock assessments, and helps track compliance with the trawl footprint boundaries. Together, these detailed records ensure transparency, accountability, and continual improvement in ecosystem-based management.
