Research Document - 2003/014

Temperature Conditions on the Scotian Shelf and in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2002 Relevant to Snow Crab

By Drinkwater, K.F., Pettipas, R., and Petrie, L.

Abstract

Temperatures during 2002 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 declined from 2001, was below the long-term mean and the second lowest value in the 32-year record. On the Scotian Shelf and on Sydney Bight, their habitat indices also decreased and in both cases fell to near their long-term averages. Bottom temperatures within the snow crab fishing areas of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence were near average in 2002, and increased over the cold conditions that dominated in 2001. In Roseway and LaHave Basins in the southwestern Scotian Shelf, near-bottom temperatures were slightly below their long-term means. Crab caught during the annual snow crab surveys in all areas were found in warmer waters in 2002 than in 2001, which is believed to reflect the availability of warmer temperatures.

Complete document (PDF, 1529 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.