Atlantic Fisheries Research Document 1996/118

The status of American eels (Anguilla rostrada) in the Scotia-Fundy area of the Maritimes region as indicated by catch and license statistics

By B.M. Jessop

Abstract

Much variability has occurred since 1950 in annual reported catches of American eels by province within the Maritimes and by Fishery Statistical District within the Scotia-Fundy and Gulf portions of the Maritimes Region. Maritimes catches of American eels peaked in 1971 at 778 t and have since fluctuated between about 300 and 500 t. Since the mid-1980s, catches of eels within the Gulf Region have declined but catches within Scotia-Fundy Region have increased, particularly in New Brunswick. Most American eels caught in Scotia-Fundy Region come from a few Fishery Statistical Districts, particularly in the Saint John River area in New Brunswick and Lunenburg to Yarmouth counties, and less so from the Eastern Shore and eastern Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. The number of commercial licenses issued and gear units authorized increased annually between 1985 and 1993 when a freeze was imposed on new licenses. Commercial license numbers increased during this period about three times and gear units increased about six times while recreational licenses and gear units increased about five and seven times, respectively. Licensing practises and the variety of gear types make comprehensive analyses of fishing effort impractical, but catch/effort has likely declined. Current biological data for stocks of American eels in Scotia-Fundy rivers are restricted to the Saint John River. The scarcity of current biological data, moderate quality of catch statistics, and crudity of information on fishing effort limit fishery management to the most basic actions.

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