Terms of Reference

Update for Scallop Fishery Area/Time Closure to Reduce Yellowtail Flounder By-catch on Georges Bank in 2012

Regional Science Special Response Process – Maritimes Region

May 2012
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Chairperson: Tana Worcester

Context

To limit the bycatch of yellowtail flounder in the offshore scallop fishery and minimize disturbance to the spawning aggregations, an area of Georges Bank is annually closed to the scallop fishery.  As an update to the 2011 report on the scallop fishery area/time closure to reduce yellowtail flounder by-catch on Georges Bank, DFO FAM requested that DFO Maritimes Science provide advice on yellowtail flounder distribution, particularly during spawning season. The Science Special Response Process (SSRP) will be based on existing data from the observed groundfish otter trawl fishery (since 2005) and scallop fishery trips (since 2001), as well as the distribution of the scallop fishery in 2011.

Objectives

The objective of the SSRP is to provide science advice on the following question:

• What does a review of 5Z yellowtail flounder distribution, particularly during spawning, reveal about the spatial and temporal trends of the species and its overlap with the offshore scallop fishery?

Expected Publications

• CSAS Science Response

Participation

• DFO Science Branch
• DFO Resource Management