Research Document - 2015/081
Review of the 2014 snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Areas 12, 19, 12E and 12F)
By M. Hébert, E. Wade, P. DeGrâce, and M. Moriyasu
Abstract
The review of the 2014 snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Areas 12, 19, 12E and 12F) is presented. Total landings in the sGSL in 2014 were 24,439 t out of a quota of 24,230 t. In Area 12, landings were 19,633 t (quota of 19,409 t). The mean catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) from logbooks decreased in 2014 (61.8 kg per trap hauled (kg/th)) compared to 2013 (76.4 kg/th). The mean size of commercial-sized adult males increased in 2014 at 113.2 mm of carapace width (CW) compared to 2013 (111.3 mm). The incidence of soft-shelled crab remained low at 4.4%. In Area 19, landings reached 3,745 t (quota of 3,745 t). The mean CPUE remained high at 147.4 kg/th, comparable to 2013 (148.5 kg/th). The mean size of commercial-sized crabs remained high in 2014 (116.8 mm CW). The incidence of white crabs decreased from 3.0% in 2013 to 1.0% in 2014. In Areas 12E and 12F, landings were 178 t (quota of 170 t) and 882 t (quota of 906 t), respectively. In Area 12E, the mean CPUE increased in 2014 (47.3 kg/th) compared to 2013 (40.1 kg/th). The incidence of soft-shelled crab decreased from 15.9% in 2013 to 7.8% in 2014. In Area 12F, the mean CPUE decreased from 49.0 kg/th in 2013 to 38.1 kg/th in 2014 while the incidence of soft-shelled crabs remained low at 1.7% in 2014.
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