Science Advisory Report 2007/015

Stock Assessment on Scallops of the inshore waters of Quebec in 2006

Summary

• The current science advisory report is effective for the 2007-2009 seasons unless there is a significant change in stock status.
• In 2006, Quebec scallop landings totalled 120.3 t of meat, down 15% from 2005. Fishing effort also decreased by 11%. The North Shore sector accounted for 79% of the landings, the Magdalen Islands for 15% and the Gaspé for 6%.
• In several Management Areas, preventive quotas (TAC) were set randomly at the beginning of the fishery. These preventive quotas are usually far superior to the highest recorded landing values. It is therefore recommended that they be lowered to more realistic levels.

North Shore

Scallop Management Areas 16E, 16F and 18A

• A new management method was tested in Areas 16E, 16F and 18A in replacement of catch control. In 2006, the fishery was managed by controlling the effort by limiting the number of harvesting days in the season and the number of harvesting hours per day. The change in management method did not lead to an increase in fishing effort or landings in accordance with the conservation objectives.
• A small drop in catch per unit of effort (CPUE) has been recorded in Areas 16E and 16F since 2003 and 2004 respectively, while Area 18A appears to have remained stable. Results from the 2005 research survey indicate an abundance of scallops under 70 mm that is above average for Area 16E.
• Because of the pilot project’s positive results in 2006, it is recommended that scallop harvesting management in Areas 16E, 16F and 18A continues through controlling the fishing effort. Total fishing effort should be kept at the same level in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Scallop Management Area 15

• Landings and fishing effort have increased in Area 15 in 2005 and 2006 but have remained below the average of the last ten years.
• Catches per unit of effort (CPUEs) have been constantly increasing since 2002 and are now above average.
• The potential fishing capacity, i.e. the high number of unused permits, likely considerably exceeds the stocks’ capacity to support exploitation. In order to avoid eventual overfishing, it is recommended that the potential fishing effort be reduced in Area 15.

Scallop Management Areas 16A2, 16B, 16C, 16D, 16G, 16H, 18D

• Few fishers are active in Areas 16A2, 16B, 16C, 16D, 16G, 16H and 18D, where fishing effort has been very low, almost nil. Commercial indices do not provide enough information to assess the status of the resource in these Areas.
• Preventive TAC are far too high compared with landings. It is recommended that they be reduced to prevent over-exploitation that could occur if all permit holders exercised a sustained and maximum fishing effort.

Île Rouge (Scallop Management Areas 16A1 and 17A1)

• Since 2003, there has been little fishing effort on the Île Rouge bed. Catch per unit of effort (CPUE) were similar between 2003 and 2006, but lower to those recorded at the beginning of the exploitation between 1999 and 2001.
• The exploitation strategy on the Île Rouge bed has changed since 2003. The fishery’s geographic range has changed because larger individuals are now targeted over volume.
• Preventive TAC are far too high compared with recent landings. It is recommended the current quota be reduced to prevent over-exploitation that could occur if all permit holders exercised a sustained and maximum fishing effort.

Gaspé

Scallop Management Area 19A

• The first signs of improvement of the resource status can now been seen in Area 19A. This progress is the result of having reduced the fishing effort by around 60% since 2002. Catches per unit of effort (CPUEs) and landings have constantly been increasing since 2002 and 2004 respectively.
• There is no spatial-time overlap between the scallop and lobster fisheries in Chaleur Bay. Accidental lobster catches during the scallop harvesting season (May to September) are very limited. However, the scallop fishery is carried out in a habitat that the lobster uses in a transitional fashion during its fall deep water migration. The impact of this overlap is unknown. However, it would be preferable not to harvest scallop during the fall lobster migration period.

Scallop Management Areas 17A2, 18B and 18C

• There has been very little fishing effort in Areas 17A2, 18B and 18C in 2006. Commercial fishery indices are insufficient to assess the status of the resource.
• Preventive TAC are far too high compared with landings. It is recommended that they be lowered to prevent over-exploitation that could occur if all permit holders exercised a sustained and maximum fishing effort.
• Area 18B is made up of two fishing sectors, the first at Anticosti Island and the second on Gaspé’s north shore. Because they are different beds separated by the very deep water in the Laurentian Channel, it is recommended that this Area be divided into two management units.

Magdalen Islands

• The Magdalen Islands wild scallop population appears to have been declining for about twenty years and in 2006, its abundance is very low. In addition, the shutdown of aquaculture seeding sites since 2003 has led to a large drop in reproductive potential, which had grown over a few years with the contribution of scallops from seeding sites.
• With these conditions, it is recommended to significantly reduce scallop exploitation in Area 20 and adopt a series of measures to help restore the stock:
  • It is recommended to reduce the fishing effort by at least 60% compared to the annual average effort of the past five years. A similar action that was implemented in Gaspé (Area 19A) has already yielded positive results.
  • In order to maximize performance by recruits and minimize incidental mortalities, Areas where juveniles are very abundant should be closed to harvesting until commercial size has been reached.
  • It is recommended to maintain the closure of the refuge Area (20E).
  • It is recommended to increase scallop minimum catch size to 100 mm as soon as possible.

Complete document (PDF, 115 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.