Research Document 1998/56

Temperature conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Scotian Shelf during 1997 relevant to snow crab

By K. Drinkwater

Abstract

Near-bottom temperatures during 1997 in areas of Maritime Canada inhabited by snow crab are presented. Data were available from groundfish surveys in Cabot Strait and Sydney Bight in January, on the Scotian Shelf and Sydney Bight in July, and on the Magdalen Shallows in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in September. Bottom temperatures in large portions of these shelf regions were between -1° and 3°C, conditions considered ideal for snow crab. Relative to the long-term (1961-90) means, bottom temperatures in 1997 were generally colder than the long-term mean (1961-90). Time series of the area of the southern Gulf, Sydney Bight and northeastern Scotian Shelf between -1° to 3°C show that the bottom covered by waters of these properties has been proportionately larger since the late-1980s compared to the 1970s and early 1980s. Analysis of temperatures within each of the snow crab fishing zones show that in the depth range of 50-150 m, temperatures throughout most of the region have generally been below normal since the late-1980s but in the last couple of years has been warming slightly.

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