Research Document - 2013/025
Update of data from the Saguenay Fjord winter recreational groundfish fishery from 1996 to 2012
By J. Gauthier, M. Desgagnés and H. Bourdages
Abstract
The status of exploited marine species in the Saguenay Fjord was assessed on a yearly basis from 1995 to 2010 and is now determined every two years. The assessment is based on various indicators from the recreational winter fishery and a research survey conducted by DFO. This document presents the data and methods used to produce fishery indicators. NUE estimates (number of fish per unit effort) for 17 years of sampling fisheries (1996-2012) are presented for each of the four following species: redfish (Sebastes spp.), Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua), Ogac (Gadus ogac) and Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). Moreover, the size structures and biological parameters of the sampled populations are presented.
Groundfish catches in the Saguenay winter recreational fishery are composed of 92% redfish, 7% cod (Atlantic and Greenland) and 1% Greenland Halibut. For the Saguenay as a whole, the redfish index of abundance decreased from 1996 to 2011 and remains low in 2012, with a value clearly below those at the beginning of the series. The index of abundance for Atlantic Cod decreased from 1996 to 2007, then increased in 2008. It has stayed high since with values similar to those at the beginning of the time series. For Greenland Cod, the index of abundance decreased from 2000 to 2007 in the Saguenay as a whole and stabilised at a low level. Greenland Halibut is a rare catch in the Saguenay recreational fishery, hence the interpretation of catch rate as an index of abundance is very speculative for this species.
- Date modified: