Research Document - 2001/001
The status of the redfish stock in Unit 1
(Gulf of St. Lawrence) in 2000
By Morin, B., Bernier, B., Camirand, R., Bernier, D., Bourdages, H.
Abstract
The fishery in management unit 1 [divisions 4RST + 3Pn and 4Vn (Jan.-May)] has been closed since 1995. Before the fishery was closed, the catch was dominated by fish born in the early 1970s and around 1980. Both groups consisted of the species
Sebastes mentella. The abundance of the 1988 year-class, composed mainly of S. fasciatus, has decreased rapidly since 1991. The reasons for the small size of the current stock are heavy past exploitation and lack of recruitment. Following the 1995 closure of the fishery, the stock's abundance seems to have stabilized; the abundance index derived from DFO's research surveys has been stable, if low. Two cohorts of juveniles were observed in DFO's 2000 research survey: the 1996 and 1998 year-classes. Most of these redfish are S. fasciatus, and both of these yearclasses seem relatively weak compared with that of 1988. The catch rate index obtained from the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC) grid surveys trended downward from 1998 to 2000. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) figures from the index fishery were similar in 1999 and 2000, but lower than those obtained before the fishery was closed in 1995. The indices from the sentinel fishery surveys have also been stable for the period 1995-1999, but the value from the summer
2000 survey amounts to only about half of the 1999 estimate. Overall, the outlook for this stock remains poor for the foreseeable future.
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