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Part II .

Regulations are amended frequently.

Please check the list of Regulations by Act to see if there are any recent amendments to these regulations filed with our office that are not yet included in this consolidation.

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Fish Buyers and Fish Processors Regulations

made under subsections 19(1) and 77(2) of the

Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act

S.N.S. 1996, c. 25

O.I.C. 2025-231 (effective July 30, 2025), N.S. Reg. 154/2025

Table of Contents

Please note: this table of contents is provided for convenience of reference and does not form part of the regulations.

Click here to go to the text of the regulations .

Interpretation

Citation

Definitions

General

Definitions for this Part

Registrar

Categories of licences

Licence holder requirements

Limiting number of licences

Licence application

Additional information required by Minister

Licence form

Licence duration

Licence fees

Licence assignment, transfer and change in voting shares

Amending, renewing or cancelling licence

Varying, amending or terminating a licence

Falsifying documents

Buying Fish and Fish Products

Buyer licence exemptions

Single-event licence

Proof of training in fish handling

Carry and produce licence

Request for information by Minister or inspector

Agents

Designated buyers

Processing Fish and Fish Products

Processor licence exemption

Display and produce processor licence

Request for information by Minister or inspector

Inspection

Inspector

Items subject to inspection

Inspector may take samples

Inspector may detain

Seizure

Appeal of inspector’s decision

Disposal of tainted fish or fish products

Prohibitions

Fish buying prohibitions

Fish processing prohibitions

Obstructing inspector

Schedule A: Fees

Interpretation

Citation

1 These regulations may be cited as the Fish Buyers and Fish Processors Regulations .

Definitions

2 In these regulations,

“Act” means the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act ;

“agent” means a person lawfully acting on behalf of another person and includes a

designated buyer;

“buyer licence” means a licence issued under the Act that entitles the holder of the

licence to buy fish or fish products;

“Department” means the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture;

“designated buyer” means a person, designated under subsection 24(1), who is

authorized by the holder of a buyer licence to engage in any activities authorized

under their buyer licence subject to any conditions of the buyer licence;

“family member” means, with respect to an individual, a spouse, common-law

partner with whom the individual has co-habited for at least 1 year, parent,

stepparent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, child, stepchild, parent-in-law, or

child-in-law;

“fish” means fishery resources as defined in the Act;

“fish products” means fish products as defined in the Act;

“illegally caught” means any of the following:

(

i) caught without an appropriate licence issued either by the federal

Department of Fisheries and Oceans or the Department or without

the appropriate authorization from the Canadian Food Inspection

Agency,

(ii) caught in contravention of federal or Provincial legislation or

regulations, including, but not limited to, legislation and regulations

relating to size, season and quota;

“inspector” means an inspector as defined in the Act;

“Minister” means the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture;

“processing” means actions respecting fish or fish products that change the nature

or form or add to the value of the fish or fish products for the purpose of preparing

the fish or fish products for sale;

“processor licence” means a licence issued under the Act that entitles the holder of

the licence to process fish or fish products;

“retail outlet” means an establishment in the Province where goods and services

are sold or offered to a purchaser for the purpose of consumption or use and not for

resale and includes a restaurant;

“vary”, with respect to a decision of the Minister under subsection 76(2) of the

Act, includes suspend.

General

Definitions for this

Part

3 In this Part,

“licence” means a buyer licence or a processor licence;

“licence holder” means a person who holds a valid buyer licence or a valid

processor licence.

Registrar

(1) The Minister may appoint a registrar and any employees of the Department to

administer these regulations.

(2) The registrar must create and maintain a registry containing the names of all

licence holders.

(3) The Minister may issue general directions to the registrar relating to any of the

following:

(

a) issuing, renewing, varying, amending and terminating a licence;

(

b) the conditions of a licence.

Categories of licences

5 The following are the categories of licences:

(

a) buyer licence;

(

b) processor licence;

(

c) single-event licence.

Licence holder requirements

6 For the purposes of clause 76(3)(ba) of the Act, a licence holder is required to do all of

the following:

(

a) comply with federal and Provincial legislation and regulations;

licence holder under the Act or its regulations.

Limiting number of licences

7 The Minister, in their sole discretion, may limit the number of licences that are issued if,

in their opinion, it is in the public interest.

Licence application

8 An application for a licence must be made to the Minister on the form provided by the

Department and must be accompanied by the applicable non-refundable application fee

set out in

Schedule A.

Additional information required by Minister

9 For the purposes of subsection 74(3) of the Act, the Minister may require an applicant

for a licence to submit any of the following additional information:

(

a) a detailed business plan in a form satisfactory to the Minister;

(

b) information about the proposed buying or processing activity.

Licence form

(1) A licence must be in the form prescribed by the Minister.

(2) The Minister may specify any of the following on a buyer licence:

(

a) the species of fish or fish products that may be purchased under the licence;

(

b) the locations where the fish or fish products may be possessed or handled;

(

c) the duration of the licence.

(3) The Minister may specify any of the following on a processor licence:

(

a) the species of fish or fish products that may be processed under the licence;

(

b) the locations where fish processing activity may take place;

(

c) the duration of the licence.

Licence duration

11 A licence may be issued for a period of up to 2 years and may be renewed by the

Minister for additional periods of up to 2 years each.

Licence fees

(1) Before a licence is issued, a successful applicant must pay the applicable non-refundable licence fee set out in

Schedule A for the entire period of the licence’s

validity.

(2) If the validity period of a licence includes a portion of a full year, the fee payable

for that portion of a full year must be pro-rated in relation to the duration of that

portion of a full year.

Licence assignment, transfer and change in voting shares

(1) A licence is not assignable or transferable.

(2) If the holder of the majority of the voting shares of a corporation that is a licence

holder changes, the licence holder must notify the Minister within 30 days of the

date of the change.

(3) The Minister may terminate the licence if the licence holder fails to notify the

Minister in accordance with subsection (2).

(4) Within 30 days of notifying the Minister of a change in the majority shareholder of

a corporation that is a licence holder in accordance with subsection (2), the licence

holder must apply to the Minister for a new licence in accordance with

Section 8.

(5) The Minister may terminate the licence if the licence holder fails to apply for a

new licence in accordance with subsection (4).

(6) Despite subsections (4) and (5), if the holder of the majority of voting shares of a

corporation that is a licence holder are held by an individual changes, so that the

majority is now held by a family member of the individual or a trust whose

beneficiaries are all family members of the individual, the licence holder must

apply to the Minister, within 30 days of the date they notified the Minister in

accordance with subsection (2), for a new licence in accordance with subsection

(7).

(7) An application for a licence under subsection (6) must be made in accordance with

the process established by the Minister and must be accompanied by the applicable

non-refundable application fee set out in

Schedule A.

Amending, renewing or cancelling licence

(1) A licence holder may apply to the Minister to amend, renew or cancel their licence

in writing and in the form and manner determined by the Department.

(2) An application to amend or renew a licence must be accompanied by the

applicable non-refundable fee set out in

Schedule A.

Varying, amending or terminating a licence

(1) If the Minister intends to vary or amend a licence under subsection 76(2) of the Act

or terminate a licence under subsection 76(3) of the Act, the Minister must notify

the licence holder in writing of the pending action.

(2) The written notice referred to in subsection (1) must include all of the following

information:

(

a) the Minister’s reasons for varying, amending or terminating the licence;

(

b) the period of the variation or the effective date of the amendment or

termination.

(3) A licence holder who receives a notice under subsection (1) may, in writing and

within 30 days of the date they received the notice, make submissions to the

Minister.

(4) A licence holder who makes submissions to the Minister under subsection (3) must

pay the non-refundable fee set out in

Schedule A.

(5) After receiving the licence holder’s submissions, the Minister must, within a

reasonable time, review the submissions and decide whether to proceed with the

pending action or not and must inform the licence holder of their decision in

writing.

Falsifying documents

16 A person must not falsify or unlawfully alter or destroy any document made or issued

under these regulations.

Buying Fish and Fish Products

Buyer licence exemptions

17 For the purposes of

Section 73 of the Act, all of the following persons are exempt from

the requirement to hold a buyer licence:

(

a) a person buying fish or fish products in amounts of less than 25 kg per

calendar day for personal consumption and not for resale;

(

b) a person buying fish or fish products from the holder of a buyer licence;

(

c) a person buying fish or fish products, other than lobster, for the purpose of

resale in a retail outlet owned by that person.

Single-event licence

(1) A registered non-profit organization may apply for a single-event licence to

purchase fish or fish products and process that fish or those fish products from a

fish harvester for a single event in the Province at which the fish or fish products

will be resold.

(2) A single-event licence must be in the form prescribed by the Minister and is

(3) An application for a single-event licence must be made to the Minister on the form

provided by the Department.

(4) There is no fee to apply for a single-event licence.

Proof of training in fish handling

19 For the purposes of an application for a buyer licence under

Section 8 or an application

to renew a buyer licence under

Section 14, the Minister may require proof that the

applicant, the holder of a buyer licence or a representative acceptable to the Minister has

successfully completed a training course recognized by the Minister respecting the

handling of any species of fish or fish products specified by the Minister.

may include any of the following matters:

(

a) the locations at which fish or fish products are permitted to be possessed,

handled, purchased and sold;

(

b) the species of fish or fish products permitted to be purchased;

(

c) how the purchased fish or fish products are permitted to be used;

(

d) the food safety requirements for handling the fish or fish products;

(

e) a requirement to keep records of activity carried out under the licence

including, but not limited to, records of all of the following:

(

i) the amount, value and price paid per kilogram for all fish or fish

products purchased,

(ii) the species of fish or fish products purchased,

(iii) the names and addresses of the fishers from whom the fish or fish

products were purchased,

(iv) the location of purchase,

(

v) the location of sale,

(vi) the date and time fish or fish products were purchased,

(vii) the destination of the fish or fish products;

(

f) the form and manner in which records must be kept;

(

g) the person to whom records must be submitted;

(

h) the time period for which records must be retained.

Carry and produce licence

(1) A holder of a buyer licence must carry personal identification and a copy of their

buyer licence at all times while engaged in any activity to which the buyer licence

relates, and must produce them when requested by an inspector, an employee of

the Department or a peace officer.

(2) A designated buyer must carry personal identification and their designated buyer

card at all times while engaged in any activity to which the designated buyer card

relates, and must produce them when requested by an inspector, an employee of

the Department or a peace officer.

Request for information by Minister or inspector

(1) On request by the Minister or an inspector, a person who holds a buyer licence

must provide the records specified in clause 20(

e) if it is a term of their licence in

the manner and within the time specified in the request.

(2) Other than a person who is acting or purporting to act as an agent, a person who is

processing, buying, selling, packaging or possessing fish or fish products and does

not hold a buyer licence must, upon request by the Minister or an inspector,

immediately provide proof of any of the following in a form acceptable to the

Minister:

(

a) the owner or other source of the fish or fish products;

(

b) the location where the fish or fish products were obtained;

(

c) the date and time the fish or fish products were obtained;

(

d) the destination of the fish or fish products;

(

e) any other information the Minister or inspector may request.

Agents

(1) Other than a designated buyer, a person who is processing, buying, selling,

packaging or possessing fish or fish products and is acting or purporting to act as

an agent must carry at all times while engaged in any activity to which the agency

relates and must, upon request by an inspector, an employee of the Department or a

peace officer, immediately provide proof of all of the following information in a

form acceptable to the Minister:

(

a) the name, mailing address and telephone number of the agent’s principal;

(

b) the nature and extent of the agent’s authority;

(

c) the start date and end date of the agent’s authority.

(2) A person, including a designated buyer, who is processing, buying, selling,

packaging or possessing fish or fish products and is acting or purporting to act as

an agent must carry at all times while engaged in any activity to which the agency

relates and must, upon request by an inspector, an employee of the Department or a

peace officer, immediately provide proof of any of the following in a form

acceptable to the Minister:

(

a) the owner or other source of the fish or fish products;

(

b) if the owner or other source of the fish or fish products is a person who

holds a valid commercial fishing licence issued by the federal Department

of Fisheries and Oceans, the licence number;

(

c) the location where the agent obtained possession of the fish or fish products;

(

d) the date and time the agent obtained possession of the fish or fish products;

(

e) the intended destination of the fish or fish products;

(

f) any other information that the inspector, employee of the Department or

peace office may require.

(3) A person subject to subsection (1) must not act or purport to act as an agent if their

authority has expired.

Designated buyers

(1) A holder of a buyer licence may apply to the Minister to appoint 1 or more persons

as designated buyers.

(2) An application to appoint a designated buyer must be made in writing on the form

provided by the Department and must be accompanied by the non-refundable

application fee set out in

Schedule A.

(3) A designated buyer may be appointed for a period of up to 2 years and may be

renewed by the Minister for additional periods of up to 2 years each.

(4) If the period of the appointment of a designated buyer includes a portion of a full

year, the application fee payable for the full year applies to that portion of the year.

(5) Any activities requiring a buyer licence that are performed by a designated buyer

are performed as agent and in the name of the holder of the buyer licence.

(6) A holder of a buyer licence must provide each designated buyer with a designated

buyer card issued by the Minister.

(7) A holder of a buyer licence must report a lost or stolen designated buyer card to the

Minister no more than 2 business days after the date they became aware of the loss

or theft.

(8) The Minister, in their sole discretion, may limit the number of designated buyers or

may cancel the appointment of a designated buyer if, in the Minister’s opinion, it is

in the public interest.

(9) No more than 2 business days after the date a designated buyer ceases to be

employed by a holder of a buyer licence or ceases permanently to perform

activities under authority of a designated buyer card in accordance with subsections

(1) and (5)

(

a) the holder of the buyer licence must provide written notice to the Minister to

cancel the appointment of the designated buyer; and

(

b) the designated buyer must return their designated buyer card to the holder of

the buyer licence.

Processing Fish and Fish Products

Processor licence exemption

(1) For the purposes of

Section 73 of the Act, a fisher or their crew who processes the

fisher’s own catch into whole or dressed unfrozen fish, salted or pickled fish is

exempt from the requirement to hold a processor licence with respect to the

processing of that fish.

(2) Despite subsection (1), if a fisher has been notified by the Minister in writing that

there is a serious contamination in the place where fish are being processed by the

fisher or their crew, the fisher and their crew must not process fish in that place.

which may include any of the following matters:

(

a) the locations at which fish or fish products to be processed are permitted to

be sourced;

(

b) food safety requirements for fish-processing facilities;

(

c) the processing of fish or fish products from an aquacultural operation;

(

d) a requirement to keep records of activity carried out under the licence

including, but not limited to, records of all of the following:

(

i) the species of fish or fish products processed,

(ii) the source and initial form of fish or fish products processed,

(iii) the volume of fish or fish products processed,

(iv) the manner in which fish or fish products are processed,

(

v) the final processed form of the fish or fish products,

(vi) the destination of processed fish or fish products;

(

e) mandatory notifications to the Minister.

Display and produce processor licence

27 A holder of a processor licence must display a copy of their processor licence at their

facilities at all times while engaged in any activity to which the processor licence relates,

and must produce it when requested by an inspector, an employee of the Department or a

peace officer.

Request for information by Minister or inspector

28 On request by the Minister or an inspector, a person who holds a processor licence must

provide the records specified in clause 26(

d) if it is a term of their licence in the manner

and within the time specified in the request.

Inspection

Inspector

29 The Minister may designate a person as an inspector for the purpose of these regulations.

Items subject to inspection

(1) Fish and fish products, and any places, premises, vehicles, vessels or boats used for

buying, processing, carrying or storing fish or fish products, are subject to

inspection by an inspector.

(2) The owner of fish or fish products or their agent must make readily accessible to

an inspector any fish, fish products or containers for which inspection or re-inspection is required under these regulations.

Inspector may take samples

31 An inspector may, at any time, take samples free of charge for the purpose of carrying

out an inspection under these regulations.

Inspector may detain

32 An inspector may detain fish or fish products or vehicles, vessels or boats for the purpose

of carrying out an inspection under these regulations.

Seizure

(1) An inspector who believes on reasonable grounds that these regulations have been

violated may seize all fish, fish products and containers relating to the offence that

they reasonably believe was committed.

(2) Fish, fish products and containers seized under subsection (1) may be retained for

no more than 2 months after the date of seizure, unless proceedings respecting the

fish, fish products and containers begin during that time, in which case the fish,

fish products and containers may be retained until the proceedings are concluded.

Appeal of inspector’s decision

(1) Subject to subsection (2), a person who is aggrieved by an inspector’s decision

may appeal the decision by giving notice in writing to the Minister no more than

30 days after the date of the inspection.

(2) The Minister must order a re-inspection if the person appealing the decision has

satisfied the Minister of all of the following:

(

a) the identity of the fish, fish products or containers of fish that were the

subject of the inspector’s decision has been preserved;

(

b) the fish, fish products or containers of fish or fish products do not contain

any poisonous or harmful substance.

(3) A decision made by the Minister resulting from a re-inspection under subsection

(1) is final.

Disposal of tainted fish or fish products

35 The Minister may order the owner of the fish or fish products that are tainted,

decomposed or unwholesome to dispose of those fish or fish products under the direction

of an inspector to prevent the possibility of the fish or fish products being marketed or

sold for human consumption.

Prohibitions

Fish buying prohibitions

36 A person must not do any of the following:

(

a) buy, sell, or possess fish or fish products that have been illegally caught,

cultured, raised, harvested or processed;

(

b) buy fish or fish products caught by a person who does not hold a valid

commercial fishing licence issued by the federal Department of Fisheries

and Oceans;

(

c) buy fish or fish products caught under an aboriginal communal fishing

licence issued for food, social and ceremonial purposes under the

Aboriginal Communal Fishing Licences Regulations made under the

Fisheries Act (Canada).

Fish processing prohibitions

37 A person must not do any of the following:

(

a) process any fish or fish products that are tainted, decomposed or

unwholesome, or otherwise fail to meet the requirements of these

regulations;

(

b) process or package fish or fish products that have been illegally caught,

cultured, raised, harvested or processed;

(

c) process or package fish or fish products that have been purchased contrary

to these regulations.

Obstructing inspector

38 A person must not obstruct, impede or refuse to admit, or aid or assist any person in

obstructing, impeding or refusing to admit, an inspector or any other person acting in the

execution of the Act and these regulations.

Schedule A: Fees

Type

Fee

Buyer licence or processor

licence application

$265.40

Designated buyer application

(per 12-month period)

$33.15

Buyer licence—by species/group (per 12-month period)

Groundfish

$530.75

Pelagic

$132.65

Shellfish

$265.40

Aquaculture products

$132.65

Other

$132.65

Processor licence (per 12-month

period)

$265.40

Amend buyer licence or

processor licence

$33.15

Make submissions to the

Minister under subsection 15(3)

$249.20

Legislative History

Reference Tables

Fish Buyers and Fish Processors Regulations

N.S. Reg.

154/2025

Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act

Note: The

information in these tables does not form part of the regulations and is

compiled by the Office of the Registrar of Regulations for reference only.

Source Law

The current consolidation of the Fish Buyers and Fish Processors Regulations made

under the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act includes

all of the following regulations:

N.S.

Regulation

In force

date*

How in force

Royal Gazette

Part II Issue

154/2025

Jul 30, 2025

date filed

Aug 22, 2025

The following regulations are not

yet in force and are not included in the current consolidation:

N.S.

Regulation

In force

date*

How in force

Royal Gazette

Part II Issue

*See subsection 3(6) of the Regulations Act for

rules about in force dates of regulations.

Amendments by Provision

ad. = added

am. = amended

fc. = fee change

ra. = reassigned

rep. = repealed

rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

..........................................................

Note that changes to headings are not

included in the above table.

Editorial Notes and Corrections

Note

Effective

date

Repealed and Superseded

N.S.

Regulation

Title

In force

date

Repealed

date

99/2000

Fish Buyers’ Licensing and Enforcement Regulations

Jun 30, 2000

Jul 30, 2025

286/1984

Fish Inspection Regulations

Dec 27, 1984

Jul 30, 2025

Note: Only

regulations that are specifically repealed and replaced appear in this

table. It may not reflect the entire

history of regulations on this subject matter.