Science Response 2017/019

Stock Status Update for Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) in Scallop Fishing Area 29 West of Longitude 65°30’

Context

Advice on the Scallops in Scallop Fishing Area (SFA) 29 West of Longitude 65º30’ is requested annually by Fisheries and Aquaculture Management to help determine a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and estimate risk of different harvest scenarios in support of the fishery. The objectives of this Science Response are to:

1. Provide an update on the status of SFA 29 West of 65º30’ (referred to as SFA 29 West) Scallop stocks by subarea as of the end of 2016.
2. Evaluate bycatch of lobster during the 2016 fishery. Identify all information on fishery bycatch of non-target species that may be available and, if available, identify any notable changes in occurrence of bycatch species relative to previous years.
3. Evaluate the consequences of different harvest levels by subarea during the 2017 fishery on stock abundance and exploitation rate.

The last full assessment of SFA 29 West was conducted in 2015 (DFO 2015, Sameoto et al. 2015) and updated in 2016 (DFO 2016).

This Science Response Report results from the Science Response Process of March 23, 2017, on the Stock Status Update of Scallop in Scallop Fishing Area (SFA) 29 West of 65º30’.

Complete document (PDF, 626 KB)

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