Research Document - 2005/002

Temperature Conditions in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2004 Relevant to Snow Crab

By Chassé, J., R.G. Pettipas, W.M. Petrie

Abstract

Temperatures during 2004 are presented for the waters of Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence inhabited by snow crab. Data were available from a number of sources including snow crab and multi-species surveys. Bottom conditions were variable but tended to have warmed over much of the deeper part of the Magdalen Shallows compared to 2003 although the shallow parts were cooler. Near bottom temperatures over a strip, extending from Chaleur Bay to Western Cape-Breton on the Magdalen Shallows, were below (colder) the long-term (1971-2000) average while the shallower parts along the coasts and the deeper parts along the Laurentian Channel exhibit warmer than normal conditions. A snow crab habitat index, defined by the area of the bottom covered by waters between -1° to 3°C, was calculated for the southern Gulf region. The index decreased compared to 2003 and is also below the long-term mean value. The average temperature within the area of -1° to 3°C slightly rose compared to last year but is still below normal. The crabs caught during the annual snow crab surveys were found in warmer waters in 2004 than in 2003, which is believed to reflect in large part the availability of slightly warmer temperatures as opposed to 2003 when cooler conditions were observed.

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