Research Document - 2002/045

2002 evaluation of 4VWX herring

By M.J. Power, R.L. Stephenson, L.M. Annis, F.J. Fife, K.J. Clark and G.D. Melvin

Abstract

Fishery, sampling, acoustic surveys and research results were compiled and used to evaluate the status of herring in the NAFO Division 4VWX area.

Landings from the SW Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy spawning component amounted to 71,570t. Age composition of the catch contained a small fraction of fish older than the 1994 year-class (age 7). Recruiting herring from the 1998 year-class dominated the fishery in 2001 at age 3.

Spawning stock biomass (SSB) in the SW Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy spawning component was estimated from acoustic surveys of spawning grounds to be about 507,000t. For standard survey areas the SSB was 370,000t representing a decline over the last three years. Larger amounts of spawning fish were documented in Scots Bay and Trinity Ledge but fewer herring were recorded on the German Bank spawning grounds than in recent years. There was evidence of reappearance of spawning on the Seal Island grounds, but this area and Trinity Ledge remained well below historical levels.

The 2001 herring fishery on the Scotian Shelf banks landed 12,500t, substantially more than in 2000 and about the same as in 1999. Catches were primarily in May and June in the vicinity of 'The Patch' as well as in the Western Hole/Roseway Bank areas. The July bottom trawl survey, with the last 4 years the highest on record, continued to indicate a general high abundance and widespread distribution of herring on the banks west of Sable Island.

Changes to management and recent research efforts have improved the knowledge of the fishery in four of the coastal Nova Scotia spawning areas, but there remains a problem of a lack of biological and fishery information for much of this component. There is continued concern for the status of the Bras d'Or Lakes spawning herring.

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