Research Document - 1999/145
An assessment of American plaice in Subdivision 3Ps.
By M.J. Morgan, W.B. Brodie, S.J. Walsh and D. Power
Abstract
The stock of American plaice in Subdivision 3Ps has been under moratorium since September 1993. Catches averaged just under 4000 t during the 1980's but rapidly declined after 1991. There has been no directed fishery since the moratorium was instituted and catch has not exceeded 500 t. The fishery has changed substantially compared to the premoratorium period with a larger inshore component, a substantial truncation in the length distribution and a much higher percentage of females in the catch. Since 1992, research vessel surveys indicate that the stock has been at a very low level. There has been a slight increase since 1993 in both biomass and abundance indices but current biomass is only 16% and abundance 21% of the 1983-87 average. Since 1993, female SSB calculated from the Campelen series has been only 15% of the 1986-87 average. Analyses of recruitment from survey data indicated that the 1977 and 1978 year classes were strong but that there were no good year classes between 1980 and 1992. Given the current low stock size and the lack of recruitment indicated by the surveys and the slow growing nature of American plaice there is little prospect of significant rebuilding in the short to medium term
Accessibility Notice
This document is available in PDF format. If the document is not accessible to you, please contact the Secretariat to obtain another appropriate format, such as regular print, large print, Braille or audio version.
- Date modified: