Research Document - 2003/083

Capelin (Mallotus villosus) fishery, biology and distribution in NAFO Divisions 4RST in 2002

By Grégoire, F., Chabot, D., Savenkoff, C.,
Lévesque, C., Guérin, J. and Hudon, J.

Abstract

Preliminary landings for capelin fished in the Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence during the 2002 season added up to 3,302 t. These landings represent a rise of 2,554 t compared with the 2001 level. However, they are lower than the annual average landings calculated for the 1990-2001 period. According to the industry, the recent drop in capelin landings would be caused by the loss of some significant markets. As for the last years, the majority of landings recorded in 2002 were made by purse seiners operating on the west coast of Newfoundland. Elsewhere, a total of 7 t were landed on the Quebec lower North Shore, while no landings have been recorded in the Estuary of the St. Lawrence since 2000. The most significant fishery unit area remains 4Rc, on the west coast of Newfoundland. Between the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, fishing seasons in this area were characterized by late fishery dates. The contrary also occurred between 1996 and 1998, but delays were again observed thereafter. The average size of capelin for division 4R as a whole showed a downward trend between 1986 and 1999, but a rise occurred thereafter. Nevertheless, the sizes measured in 2002 still remain lower to those recorded in the 1980s. Indices of dispersion and surface areas associated with different probabilities of finding capelin are calculated from the groundfish and shrimp (Pandalus borealis) research surveys in the northern and southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. These indices are characterized by rises in their long-term tendencies. From 1997 to 2001, surface areas with high probabilities to find capelin in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence expanded gradually towards the east, but in 2002, the area of the west coast of Newfoundland was rather characterized by a reduction of such surface areas. For the southern Gulf, a very significant expansion of the species characterized this area since the middle of the 1990s. This expansion seems to be linked with a reduction of the Magdalen Shallows surface area covered by water colder than 1ºC. Stomach contents sampled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (divisions 4R and 4S) since 1993 revealed that the capelin is a significant food resource for cod (Gadus morhua). There is also a strong link between the size of cod and the importance of the capelin in its diet. Indeed, cods from 20 to 70 cm would be the most important predator for capelin.

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