Terms of Reference

Regional Advisory Meeting

4T Snow Crab

February 26 and 27, 2008

Gulf Fisheries Centre, Moncton (NB)

Chairperson: Gérald Chaput

Background

In support of fisheries management needs, Oceans and Science Branch Gulf Region undertakes a stock assessment of snow crab of management units 12, E, F and 19 for the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Objectives

Snow crab

Management units 12, E, F, and 19

Develop science advice for the management of the snow crab stocks for the management units 12, E, F, and 19 of the southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence for the 2008 fishing season.

The review of the fishery, the status of the resource and the science advice will be based on the following considerations:

• Commercial fishery statistics for the 2007 fishing season (catches, landings and effort, sea sampling).

• Indicators of the fishery: catch per unit of effort, carapace conditions, size and carapace condition of market size crabs

• based on the results of the post-fishery directed snow crab trawl survey for 2007 and previous years

• estimation of the exploitable biomass remaining after the commercial fishery

• estimation of the abundance of male crab recruitment for the near future

• estimation of the present and future abundance and condition of the spawning stock

• size structure of the male and female crab by stage of maturity

• estimates of the empirical exploitation rates of the commercially exploitable biomass

• Projections which incorporate uncertainty of the exploitable biomass of commercial sized crab for 2008

• A risk analysis of different catch options for 2008 relative to management indicators

• Consideration of the environmental factors which may influence the population dynamic of the snow crab stocks and an overview of new knowledge or research questions which would lead to improvements in the scientific advice required for fisheries management

• Documentation of the methods used to standardize the time series of data for the trawl surveys for 1988 to 2007

• An update of the progress on the work leading to the identification of reference points which conform to the precautionary approach for management of snow crab

The product of this science review will consist of:

• Using bullet points, a description of the main conclusions of the stock assessment including a review of a risk analysis framework and identification of the uncertainties

• A stock assessment document to be completed by the end of March 2008

Products

• CSAS Science advisory report of the snow crab resource for management units 12, E, F of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.

• CSAS Science advisory report of the snow crab resource for management unit 19 of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

• CSAS proceedings report summarizing the discussions of the science review

• CSAS research document(s)

Participation

• DFO Oceans and Science Branch

• Other DFO Sectors

• External experts (to DFO)

• Fishing industry and First Nations