New Brunswick·NewThe Department of Fisheries and Oceans has delayed the mandatory implementation of electronic data logging for some Maritime fishing zones. The move comes after some associations expressed their concerns in a letter to Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson.Move comes after some associations expressed concern in a letter to Fisheries Minister Joanne ThompsonRhythm Rathi · CBC News · Posted: Sep 20, 2025 5:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes agoA group of Maritime fishing associations wrote a joint letter to Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joanne Thompson to request a delay in 2025’s mandatory e-log implementation. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has delayed the mandatory implementation of electronic data logging for some Maritime fishing zones.The move comes after some associations expressed their concerns in a letter to Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson.In late 2024, the department announced that some fisheries in the Maritimes region would undergo a mandatory transition to electronic logbooks in the spring of 2025.The change has now been postponed to the 2026 fishing season for some lobster fishing areas.ELOGs are replacing paper logbooks.The delay in mandatory implementation only applies to Lobster Fishing Areas 33, 34, 35, 36 and 38, the department said in an email to CBC News.Melanie Sonnenberg is the executive director of the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association. (Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association)These zones cover lobster fishing areas in New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy and areas in southwestern Nova Scotia, where there is a special requirement to record sales data that the current ELOG applications don’t offer.”If mandatory ELOGs were implemented this season, it would have meant that harvesters would need to complete an e-log and record second-page sales data on paper,” DFO said in the email.”This was not a viable option … DFO will work with industry and service providers to ensure an electronic solution is available for all data ahead of the 2026 season.” The use of ELOGs is mandatory for lobster fishers in the Gulf Region and in Newfoundland and Labrador, said the email.The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association expressed frustration around the system in a CBC interview late April. Melanie Sonnenberg, executive director of the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association, was among the group that wrote to the federal minister.”It was a welcomed decision and it was … one that was well-received by the industry, that the minister acknowledged the fact there were grave concerns in the Maritime region and that they stepped back from it,” she said.The group’s letter also expressed concerns around access to technology, required training, connectivity limitations, system performance and data security.Sonnenberg said her association’s area has 135 licensed fishers. She said up to 30 per cent are “technology deficient.”She said some of her fishers will start voluntary use of ELOGs to experience what challenges they can face and provide feedback.The group of associations still has questions about the transition.”I have probably 25-30 questions for the department, that are very technical in nature, but they’re very real questions.”We asked questions previously and … I think the answers were well-intentioned but did not really address some of the underlying concerns. So, now that we have the minister’s office involved, I think we’ll have a decent back and forth.”ABOUT THE AUTHORRhythm Rathi is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick in Moncton. He was born and raised in India, and attended journalism school in Ontario. Send your story tips to rhythm.rathi@cbc.ca
Some Maritime lobster zones won’t move to electronic logging until 2026
