Science Response 2019/036

Stock Status Update of Georges Bank ‘a’ Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) for the 2019 Fishing Season

Context

Advice on the status of the Georges Bank Scallop stock is requested annually by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Resource Management to help determine a Total Allowable Catch (TAC, meat weight) in support of the fishery. The purpose of this report is to update the status of Georges Bank ‘a’ Scallop with data from the 2018 Scallop survey and fishery to provide science advice for the management of the 2019 fishery. The last peer-reviewed Regional Advisory Process for this stock occurred in 2013 (DFO 2013, Hubley et al. 2014) and updates have been conducted since 2014 (DFO 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).

This update for the Scallop fishery on Georges Bank pertains to zone ‘a’. The assessment and advice presented in this document use the assessment framework established in 2009 (Jonsen et al. 2009). Georges Bank zone ‘b’ is a marginal growth area for Scallops and has separate management measures. Some elements of the fishery in zone ‘b’ are also presented for continuity.

This Science Response reports results from the Science Response Process of April 9, 2019, on the Stock Status Update of Offshore Scallop: Browns Bank North and Georges Bank ‘a’.