Terms of Reference

Stock Assessment of Eastern Scotian Shelf Shrimp in Shrimp Fishing Areas (SFAs) 13-15

Regional Science Response Process (SRP) – Maritimes Region

December 11, 2019
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Chairperson : Tara McIntyre

Context

The Northern or Pink Shrimp, Pandalus borealis, is the only shrimp species of commercial importance in the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritimes Region. The fishery consists of 28 DFO Maritimes Region-based licenses, mostly less than 65 ft. length overall, and 14 DFO Gulf Region-based licenses 65-100 ft. length overall. All mobile licenses have been under Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) since 1998. A competitive trap fishery with 14 licenses is largely restricted to Chedabucto Bay. The fishery operates under an ‘evergreen’ management plan, which documents sharing agreements between fleet sectors. A framework was completed in February 2015 (DFO 2016). The status of Eastern Scotian Shelf shrimp was last assessed in December 2018 (DFO 2019).

Objectives

The objectives of this regional peer review process are:

• Assess the overall status of Eastern Scotian Shelf shrimp (Shrimp Fishing Areas 13-15) as of the fall of 2019, including stock abundance and exploitation rate.
• Evaluate the consequences of different harvest levels during the 2019 fishery on stock abundance and exploitation rate.
• Update descriptive information related to the fishery, survey, biology, and ecosystem interactions of the target species.
• Report on the bycatch of non-target species in observed trips in the 2018 and 2019 fishery, including the abundance of bycatch species relative to the amount of shrimp caught in the fishery that year and any notable changes in their occurrence relative to previous years.

• Science Response

Expected Participation

• DFO Science
• DFO Resource Management

References

DFO. 2016. Proceedings of the Regional Assessment of an Eastern Scotian Shelf Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) Framework; April 14-15, 2015. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Proceed. Ser. 2016/002.

DFO. 2019. Assessment of Northern Shrimp on the Eastern Scotian Shelf (SFAs 13-15). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2019/013.