Science Advisory Report 2020/010

Assessment of Northern Shrimp stocks in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2019

Summary

• In 2019, preliminary landings for all shrimp fishing areas were 16,161 t from a TAC of 17,335 t.
• Northern shrimp is widely distributed in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, but since 2008 the research survey has shown a decline in the species’ area of concentration. This decrease is also seen in the commercial fishery, as some fishing grounds are no longer occupied due to low shrimp abundance.
• The catch per unit of effort (CPUE) of the commercial fishery decreased between 2014 and 2017. Since then, the CPUE has stabilized in Sept-Iles, Anticosti and Esquiman and has increased in Estuary. The CPUEs of recent years are comparable to those of the early 2000s.
• In 2019, the biomasses estimated from the survey were similar to or slightly higher than the 2018 estimates for Sept-Iles, Anticosti and Esquiman. The biomasses estimated since 2017 in these fishing areas were low and comparable to the biomasses of the early 1990s. In Estuary, the interannual variations in estimated biomass were large; the values for 2017 and 2018 were among the lowest in the series (1990-2019) while the value for 2019 was among the highest.
• Warming of deep waters and predation by redfish appear to be important factors in the decline of northern shrimp. These conditions are not expected to improve in the short term.
• The low male abundance observed in recent years and the downward trend in females’ size indicate low productivity of these stocks.
• The exploitation rate index for Sept-Iles and Esquiman decreased in 2019 and was similar to the series average, while that of Anticosti increased in 2018 and 2019 to above the average. In Estuary, this index is quite variable and in 2019 it reached the lowest value of the series.
• In 2019, the main stock status indicator increased slightly in Sept-Iles, Anticosti and Esquiman, but increased markedly in Estuary. The indicator for the four stocks had fallen sharply in previous years. In 2019, the Estuary, Anticosti and Esquiman stocks were in the healthy zone while the Sept-Iles stock was still in the cautious zone.
• Following the harvest guidelines established as part of the precautionary approach, the projected harvests for 2020 are 1,524 t for Estuary, 5,123 t for Sept-Iles, 6,311 t for Anticosti and 6,142 t for Esquiman. Fisheries Management will set the TACs based on this information.

This Science Advisory Report is from the January 22-23, 2020 meeting on Assessment of northern shrimp stocks in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Additional publications from this meeting will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science Advisory Schedule as they become available.

Science Advisory Report 2020/010 (PDF, 2,487 KB)

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