Research Document 1997/76

Assessment of the Margaree River gaspereau fishery, 1995 and 1996

By G. Chaput, P. LeBlanc, and R. Crawford

Abstract

The harvests of gaspereau from the Margaree River have undergone large annual variations between 1950 and 1996. Harvests in 1996 of 94 t were the second lowest in the time series and follow an almost continuous decline from the peak historic catch of 1,912 t in 1988. The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) harvests in 1995 and 1996 were dominated by first time spawners, similar to previous years. The 1991 year-class, based exclusively on catches, has been the weakest observed to date. The fishing mortality rates between 1983 and 1994 were in excess of F_OPT (F = 0.4). There was a greater than 99% chance that the fishing mortality rate in 1995 exceeded F_opt. There was less chance (60%) that F in the 1996 fishery exceeded the target level. The large oscillations observed in the landings are in part due to overexploitation. That overexploitation has occurred is evident from the large dependence of the runs on first time spawners and the high proportion of the cohorts which are harvested before ever having spawned. The management plan in 1996 which included a full three days closure and the reduced number of licenses actively fished resulted in lower exploitation rates from those of the previous five years and close to the target.

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