Research Document - 1999/012

Assessment of the 1998 snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fisheries off eastern Nova Scotia (Areas 20 to 24 (and 4X)), Canada.

By M. Biron, M. Moriyasu, E. Wade, P. DeGrâce, R. Campbell and M. Hébert

Abstract

The 1998 total landings in eastern Nova Scotia (ENS) were 35% higher than those of 1997. There was a 55% increase in the seasonal catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) and a 15% reduction in total fishing effort compared to last year. The increase in landings was mostly the result of a 50% increase in individual boat quotas in Area 21 (from 10,000lbs to 15,000lbs), a slight increase in IBQ in Areas 23 and 24 (from 52,000lbs to 55,000lbs), and the introduction of new allocations (for a total of 500t) for temporary fishers in Areas 23 and 24. The overall picture for ENS in 1998 (compared to 1997) can be summarized as follow: all Areas have reached their quotas with a higher CPUE which increased 33% in Area 23 to 75% in Area 20 (Areas 21 and 22 = 50%, Area 24 = 37%), while the reported fishing effort were similar (Areas 21, 23 and 24) or 35% to 55% lower (Areas 22 and 20, respectively). A higher than usual concentration of snow crab was found in the 4X exploratory fishery and was located along the NAFO fishing boundary 4W/4X, on the 4X side.

The second comprehensive trawl survey was carried out in ENS in 1998. In 1997, fishery parameters estimated from this survey were not considered reliable because of uncertainties, such as the size-weight relationship and the discriminant functions. In addition, the rough bottom configuration found in ENS is quite different from what is found in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) where this method has been developed. In 1998, a new size-weight relationship and discriminant function have been established specifically for ENS snow crab population. The technique for biomass estimation by taking bottom configuration factor into account is currently been investigated, and possible problems and solutions are discussed in this document. In the meantime, the management of this fishery must still primarily rely on the assessment based on the fishery dependent data.

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