Research Document - 2002/043

Temperature conditions on the Scotian Shelf and in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2001 relevant to snow crab

By K.F. Drinkwater, R.G. Pettipas and W.M. Petrie

Abstract

Temperatures during 2001 are presented for the waters of Maritime Canada inhabited by snow crab. Data were available from a number of sources including snow crab and groundfish surveys on the Scotian Shelf and the Magdalen Shallows in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A snow crab habitat index, defined by the area of the bottom covered by waters between -1° to 3°C, was calculated for each of the southern Gulf, Sydney Bight and northeastern Scotian Shelf regions. The index for the Gulf rose significantly from 2000, reaching near its long-term mean value. On the Scotian Shelf, the index increased by a factor of 2 and above its long-term average. On Sydney Bight the habitat index was the same as in 2000, remaining slightly above its long-term mean. Bottom temperatures within the snow crab fishing areas of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and the northeastern Scotian Shelf were generally cooler-than-average in 2001, reversing the trend of increasing temperatures observed over the past few years. Over the central Magdalen Shallows, while mean temperatures decreased in 2001, there was less water with temperatures <0ºC. The crabs caught during the annual snow crab surveys in all areas were found in colder waters in 2001 than in 2000, which is believed to reflect in large part the availability of cooler temperatures.

Complete document (PDF, 1300 KB)

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.