Research Document - 2010/112

2010 Evaluation of 4VWX Herring

By M.J. Power, D. Knox, and G.D. Melvin

Abstract

Quota landings in 2008-2009 were 54,113t against a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 55,000t for the Southwest Nova Scotia / Bay of Fundy (SWNS/BoF) component. Acoustic biomass estimates increased for each of the major survey areas in Scots Bay and on German Bank. In 2009, the fishery catch at age composition by number was comprised of 45% fish at 2 years of age, 20% at age 3, 24% at age 4, and 11% at older ages. This assessment indicates some improvement from the low level of the resource noted in the previous assessment, e.g., spawning stock biomass (SSB) estimated from the acoustic surveys is approaching the series average (1999-2009).

There was an increase in landings from 918t to 9,088t from the offshore Scotian Shelf banks mainly due to good weather conditions and fish being available to the purse seine gear. There was no midwater trawl activity in the offshore area in 2009 and only limited by-catch of herring from bottom trawl gear. Herring abundance in the summer bottom trawl research survey is at a low level after a decade of high values but is not considered indicative of overall abundance. There is no acoustic survey information for the offshore area although industry has been encouraged to explore and undertake structured surveys.

The recorded landings in the 2009 gillnet and trap net fisheries along the coast of Nova Scotia increased from 3,704t to 9,783t. There were increases in surveyed acoustic biomass in the Halifax/Eastern Shore and Little Hope areas from the previous year. Surveys were also completed near Glace Bay but there were few spawning herring documented or catch reported. No herring surveys took place in the Bras d’Or Lakes.

Landings in the 2009 New Brunswick weir and shut-off fishery were 4,031t, the lowest catch since 1963 and well below the long term average. Two years previously, in 2007, this fishery landed 30,944t, which was the highest catch since 1990. The age distribution of fish caught in the 2009 New Brunswick weir and shutoff fishery indicated mostly juveniles, with 86% at age 2. The success of this passive fishery is historically unpredictable, and catches are inherently susceptible to many natural variables in addition to abundance.

Complete document (PDF, 2859 KB)

Accessibility Notice

This document is available in PDF format. If the document is not accessible to you, please contact the Secretariat to obtain another appropriate format, such as regular print, large print, Braille or audio version.