Science Response 2012/011

Scallop Fishery Area/Time Closure to Protect Cod Spawning Aggregations in 5Z (Georges Bank)

Context

All fishing mortality of Georges Bank cod (Gadus morhua) in Canada is required to be accounted for, and efforts to reduce cod bycatch in the offshore scallop fishery are ongoing. In order to reduce bycatch and minimize disturbance to spawning aggregations of cod by the offshore scallop fishery on Georges Bank, DFO has implemented area/time closures from early February to the end of March since 2005. To assist resource managers in determining appropriate area closures for the offshore scallop fishery on Georges Bank during the cod spawning seasons, fisheries management asked the following question: “What does a review of 5Z cod distribution, particularly at spawning time, reveal about the spatial and temporal trends of the species and its overlap with the offshore scallop fishery? Highlight areas of high 5Z cod distribution using the cells which have already been defined and used in previous years.” This document provides the requested information on the spatial distribution of cod abundance and its overlap with scallop catches on Georges Bank. It concludes that implementing a cod area/time closure for 2012 with a similar location as the cod area/time closure of 2011 should achieve the objective of reducing cod bycatch and disturbance of spawning aggregations, although it may not fully reflect current cod distribution. 

This Science Response Report results from the Science Special Response Process of February 2012 to provide an Update for Scallop Fishery Area/Time Closure to Reduce Cod By-catch on Georges Bank in 2012, which was conducted by email. It is an update of information provided annually from 2006 to 2009 in the Maritimes Region’s Expert Opinions series and from 2010 onward in the CSAS Science Response report series.

Complete document (PDF, 202 KB)

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