Proceedings 2015/045

Proceedings of the 2014 Regional Peer Review Meeting for the Assessment of Striped Shrimp (Pandalus montagui) in Shrimp Fishing Area 4 ; January 23, 2014

Chairperson: B. Sjare
Rapporteur: Victoria Neville
Editor: James Meade

Summary

A Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) regional peer review meeting was held in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) on January 23, 2014 to assess the status of Striped Shrimp (Pandalus montagui) in Shrimp Fishing Area (SFA) 4. The meeting was developed to inform management measures for the 2014-15 shrimp fishing season and to determine whether additional management considerations would be required in the future for the management of Striped Shrimp. Striped Shrimp was last assessed within SFA 4 in 2003. This species has been taken as bycatch within the Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) commercial fishery since 1988; and has recently been assigned a bycatch limit of 4033 t in SFA 4. The objectives of this review meeting were:

1. to determine female spawning stock biomass (SSB) of Striped Shrimp in SFA 4; and;
2. to calculate the exploitation rate for Striped Shrimp in SFA 4.

Participants at the meeting included representatives from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science and Fisheries Management Branches, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador - Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DFA), Government of Nunavut - Department of Environment, Nunatsiavut Government, Torngat Joint Fisheries Board, and industry representatives.

The meeting began with an overview of the CSAS science advisory process and a review of the terms of reference (TOR) for the meeting. Following this, one formal presentation was given: An assessment of Striped Shrimp (Pandalus montagui) in SFA 4 (NAFO Div. 2G) 2005‑13. The main discussion topics that emerged from the presentation included: the regulations set on Striped Shrimp bycatch as a percentage over the season; the distribution of Striped Shrimp catch in relation to the distribution of fishing effort throughout SFA 4 and impacts of this on the validity of the exploitation rate index; the likely effects of strong currents on movement of Striped Shrimp and implications on calculations of spawning stock biomass; assessment of the sustainability of the interim total allowable catch; the value of Striped Shrimp compared to Northern Shrimp; concerns with the potential effects of a change in vessel during survey years; and other sources of uncertainty for the science advisory report.

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