Lost fishing gear form

To operate legally and in compliance with the Fisheries Act and related regulations, commercial harvesters must follow the conditions of license in their permit. This includes mandatory reporting of the retrieval of any of their own previously reported lost gear within 24 hours of returning to port at the end of the fishing trip.

Privacy notice statement

The information you provide through the Fishing Gear Reporting System is collected under the authority of the Fisheries Act (section 9.1(2) and 9.2) and the Fishery (General) Regulations (section 22.1) for the purpose of the proper management and control of fisheries under DFO jurisdiction, and through section 6 authorizations to retrieve and dispose of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear under the Wrecked and Abandoned Hazardous Vessels Act. The information may be used for compliance review, safety or security purposes, administration or enforcement of a law, the detection, prevention, or suppression of crime, and investigative purposes. Failure to provide this information may result in the suspension or cancellation of current licences and/or authorizations, and the denial of future requests for licences under the Fisheries (General) Regulations, or authorizations under the Wrecked and Abandoned Hazardous Vessels Act. You have the right to the correction of, access to, and protection of your personal information under the Privacy Act and to file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada over DFO’s handling of your information. Personal information collected through the Fishing Gear Reporting System is described in the Personal Information Bank (PIB) MPO PPU 410 and DFO PPU 415.

Individual and licence information

Region of licence issuanceRequired field
Date of report
Enter a number
Enter a number
Enter a number
For example: 111-222-3333
For example: name@example.com

Where did you lose your gear?

The last date the gear was known to be at this location
Coordinates systemRequired field
Start typing to narrow down the list.
When results are available, use the directional arrows to navigate: up and down arrows to review, enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures.

Describe your lost gear

Gear typeRequired field
Enter a number
Enter a number
Enter a number
Enter a number
Enter a number
Reason for lossRequired field
Date modified: 2026-04-01