Snow Crab Survey Vessel Charter

An annual snow crab survey is conducted on the Scotian shelf by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for the purposes of stock assessment. The snow crab fishery is one of the most valuable fisheries in Atlantic Canada and the Scotian Shelf component of this fishery is considered to be the most conservatively managed and relies heavily on quality data from this survey to make informed management decisions. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) requires the service of a vessel to use as the platform for this research. This vessel will carry a minimum crew complement of a Captain and three (3) members in addition to three scientific personnel. The objective of the contract is the successful completion of all planned stations in the annual snow crab trawl survey, up to a maximum of 400 stations on an annual basis.

The Project work will take place between approximately August 1 and January 15 annually. Exact dates will be determined by the DFO scientist in-charge. These dates (and the required working days throughout) will be contingent on operational considerations of the charter based on such factors as weather, vessel maintenance/ repair requirements, etc. The contractor will be informed of the exact dates for the given year by the chief scientist with a minimum notice of two weeks before work commences annually.

The work will be conducted throughout the Scotia Shelf in Crab Fishing Areas: N-ENS, 23, 24 and 4X. The vessel must be willing to berth at various ports along the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia for the duration of the project as determined by operational requirements.

The initial term of the Contract will be from Contract Award to July 31, 2027 with an option to extend the Contract by up to four (4) additional one (1) year periods.

Refer to the Request for proposal (RFP) document for complete details.