Research Document 2020/005
An Assessment of Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) on St. Pierre Bank
By Coughlan, E., Hynick, E., and D. Stansbury
Abstract
The directed fishery for Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) started on St. Pierre Bank (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Subdiv. 3Ps) in the late 1970s. This is a pulse fishery largely dependent on sporadic recruitment. Populations on St. Pierre Bank are mainly found at depths from 40 to 100 m in three beds: North, Middle and South. They are usually found on hard bottom, with variable substrate composition, consisting largely of sand, gravel, shell fragments, and cobble.
Prior to 2006, the fishery was managed by Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and meat count regulations applied to the offshore fleet, but not to the inshore fleet. In 2006, following the recommendations of the "Hooley Report", specific fishing areas and TACs were applied to each fleet. Since then, fishing has only been prosecuted in the North bed by the Newfoundland inshore fleet. Between 2005 and 2010, landings ranged from 300 t to 770 t then increased to 1,190 t in 2012, and since then have averaged 1,125 t shell stock (136 t meat weight).
A Fisheries and Oceans Canada research vessel survey in September 2015 resulted in a minimum dredgeable biomass (MDB) estimate of 5,912 t, the lowest since 2005. In addition, it was determined the abundance was dominated by a single modal group of scallops (110 mm) in the South and North beds. The natural mortality index for Sea Scallop increased from 0.09 in 2010 to 0.13 in 2015. Recruitment prospects are unknown.
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.
- Date modified: