Science Response 2013/008

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

Context

The requirement to account for all fishing mortality of Georges Bank cod (Gadus morhua) in Canada has lead to efforts by the offshore scallop fishery to reduce cod bycatch. Along with active avoidance protocols adopted by the offshore scallop fleet, DFO has implemented area/time closures from early February to the end of March since 2005 in order to reduce bycatch and minimize disturbance to spawning aggregations of cod by the offshore scallop fishery on Georges Bank. 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 2013 which reflects the recent 10-year time period (2003-2012) should achieve the objective of reducing cod bycatch and disturbance of spawning aggregations, since a comparison of the recent distribution to that from the beginning of the time series (1996) shows that a change has occurred.  

This Science Response Report results from the Science Special Response Process of January 2013 on the Review of Scallop Fishery Closure to Protect Cod Spawning Aggregations on Georges Bank in 2013, 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 Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Science Response series.

Complete document (PDF, 382 KB)

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