Research Document - 2003/070

An assessment of striped shrimp (Pandalus Montagui, Leach, 1814) stocks from Resolution Island south along the coast of Labrador to the Grand Banks

By Orr, D.C., Parsons, D.G., Veitch, P.J.
and Sullivan, D.J.

Abstract

This report details the May 2003 assessment of striped shrimp (Pandalus montagui, Leach, 1814) in the area off Resolution Island (SFA's 2, 3 and 4; west of 630 00 W). There is a commercial fishery in this area, but no recent fishery independent data. Status was inferred by examining trends in commercial catch, effort, catch-per-unit effort, fishing pattern and size/ sex/ age composition of the catches. An assessment of striped shrimp along the coast of Labrador and off the east coast of Newfoundland is also provided. Annual autumn multi-species bottom trawl surveys take place south of 2G, but the commercial striped shrimp fishery in this area is limited to bycatch in the Pandalus borealis fishery. Current stock status off Resolution Island is uncertain in the absence of fisheryindependent data. The fishery takes place in a small area and catch rates in 2002 were similar to those during 1995, 1997 and 2001 but significantly lower than during all other years. In areas to the south, shrimp densities are lower and variable both within SFAs and between years. Aging was difficult to resolve because length frequencies were often jagged and lacked inter annual consistencies. Current stock status is uncertain. The patchy nature of distributions and low shrimp densities do not support a directed fishery for this resource. Striped shrimp are caught as a bycatch in the P. borealis fishery, therefore, fishing mortality is unknown.

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