Atlantic Fisheries Research Document 1996/012
A summary of a whelk (Buccinum undatum) test fishery in the Tusket Island area of southwest Nova Scotia with a review of biological characteristics relevant to the development of this resource
By E. Kenchington; M.J. Lundy
Abstract
Preliminary data on whelks from the Lobster Bay area (Tusket Island) of south-west Nova Scotia indicate that the size distribution and meat yield are markedly different from that reported for the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The maximum shell height (71 mm) in the Tusket Island sample was 20 mm smaller than that reported in the literature for the New Brunswick north coast. The shell weight is considerably greater than those reported for a 60 mm sized whelk from the Gulf or the New Brunswick side of the Bay of Fundy, and may result from selection pressure imposed by the large resident lobster population. The regression equations show that in the Tusket Shoal area, a 15 g foot weight would only be found in an animal of approximately 80 mm shell height. This weight has been offered as a minimum mass for marketing. The size of the whelks in the Tusket Island area are thus too small for established markets.
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