Science Advisory Report 2021/037

Assessment of the Quebec North Shore (Division 4S) herring stocks in 2020

Summary

• Landings of herring from the North Shore of Quebec have been decreasing since 2017 to reach 1,482 t (or 33% of the TAC) in 2020, their lowest level since 2011. Almost all landings came from the eastern end of unit area 4Sw. This decrease is in part attributable to a decrease in fishing effort.
• The proportion of the spring spawning stock in landings increased from an average of 7% for the period 2008-2019 to 28% in 2020. The herring catches of the spring spawning stock in 2019 and 2020 were mainly composed of small fish of the 2017 year-class, and to a lesser extent of fish of the 2013 year-class. These observations are consistent with those of the herring stock in 4R.
• Catches of the fall spawning herring stock in 2019 and 2020 consisted mainly of fish aged 11 years and over. A new year-class (2016) was also observed in 2020.
• The acoustic index of the spring spawning stock biomass in unit area 4Sw has been increasing since 2018, while the fall spawning stock biomass index has remained relatively stable.
• The annual condition of spring and fall spawners is favoured by early spring environmental conditions and the high abundance of Calanus finmarchicus and C. hyperboreus.
• The sum of the anomalies of three indicators of stock productivity (size at age 6, condition and proportion of ages 3 to 5) is positive in 2020 for the spring spawning stock and has remained mostly negative for the fall spawning stock since 2009.
• Evidence available up to 2020 (commercial catches at age, abundance of young fish) indicates that current catch levels are not expected to pose a significant short-term risk to herring stocks in 4S.

This Science Advisory Report is from the May 4-5, 2021 regional advisory meeting on the Assessment of the Quebec North Shore (4S) herring stocks in 2020. 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 2021/037 (PDF, 3,012 KB)

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