Terms of Reference

Assessment of the status of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab stock

Meeting of the Regional Advisory Process for the Gulf Region

February 23 to 27, 2009

Champlain Coastal Inn, Dieppe (NB)

Chairperson: Gérald Chaput

Background

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

Objectives

Develop science advice for the management of the snow crab stock for the southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence for the 2009 fishing season. The review of the commercial fisheries performance, the status of the resource, and the science advice will be based on the following considerations:

• For each of the four management areas in the southern Gulf (12, E, F, 19):
• • commercial fishery statistics for the 2008 fishing season (catches, landings and effort, sea sampling),
  • indicators of the fishery: catch per unit of effort, carapace conditions, size and carapace condition of commercial size crab.

• Based on the results of the post-fishery directed snow crab trawl survey for 2008 and previous years
• • estimation of the exploitable biomass remaining after the commercial fishery for the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and for each of the management areas (12, E, F, 19),
  • estimation of the abundance of male crab recruitment for the southern Gulf for the near future,
  • estimation of the present and future abundance of the spawning stock in the southern Gulf,
  • size structure of the male and female crab by stage of maturity for the southern Gulf,
  • estimates of the empirical exploitation rates of the commercially exploitable biomass for the southern Gulf.
    
     
• Projections, which incorporate uncertainty, of the exploitable biomass of commercial sized crab in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence for 2009.
  
   
• A risk analysis of different catch options for 2009 for the southern Gulf stock relative to the proposed management references
  
   
• Consideration of the environmental factors which may influence the abundance and population dynamic of the snow crab stock pf the southern Gulf and an overview of new knowledge or research questions which would lead to improvements in the scientific advice required for fisheries management
  
   
• Following on the peer review of February 2008 and recommendations for further analyses:
• • A detailed analysis of the indices of catch per unit effort from the commercial fishery,
  • To determine the utility of the proportion at carapace condition as an indicator of exploitation intensity, an analysis of the proportions of the carapace conditions for snow crab stages which are not subject to exploitation,
  • A presentation and review of the methods and results of the June biomass estimation survey for area 19, including a comparison of the results with those obtained from the post-fishery survey from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, for all relevant years.
    
     
• 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 2009

Products

• CSAS Science Advisory Report of Limit Reference Points for the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab stock
• CSAS Science advisory report for the status of the snow crab stock of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (management units 12, E, F, and 19)
• CSAS proceedings report summarizing the discussions of the science review
• CSAS research document(s)

Participation

• DFO Oceans and Science Branch
• Other DFO Sectors
• Provinces
• External experts (to DFO)
• Fishing industry
• Aboriginal peoples