Research Document - 2008/023

2008 Evaluation of 4VWX Herring

By M.J. Power, F.J. Fife, D. Knox and G.D. Melvin

Abstract

Quota landings in 2006/07 were 50,360t against a TAC of 50,000t for the SW Nova Scotia / Bay of Fundy component. The benefits of the reduced quota and other rebuilding measures are now starting to be reflected in the improved biological characteristics of the population. Acoustic biomass estimates in the traditional survey areas for Scots Bay, Trinity Ledge and German Bank increased by approximately 100,000t from 2006. Some conservation objectives specified for this fishery are being met but there are still concerns for spawning areas other than German Bank. This assessment indicates an improvement from the low level of the resource noted in recent assessments. There was a decrease in landings to 5,400t from the offshore Scotian Shelf banks by purse seine, midwater and bottom trawl. Since the summer bottom trawl research survey is not considered indicative of overall herring abundance, the industry has been encouraged to explore and undertake structured surveys of the offshore area but this has not occurred in recent years. The recorded landings of 5,300t in 2007 in the four major gillnet fisheries along the coast of Nova Scotia is a decline from 2006. There was a reduction in surveyed acoustic biomass in the Halifax/Eastern Shore and Little Hope areas from the previous year. Surveys were also completed near Glace Bay but there were few spawning herring documented or catch reported and no herring surveys took place in the Bras d’Or Lakes. The decline in, or lack of, surveyed biomass in three of the major coastal spawning groups is cause for concern. The latest landings for the 2007 New Brunswick weir and shutoff fishery were 30,900t which is the highest catch for this component since 1993. The number of active weirs with catch increased from the low of 76 in 2005 to 98 in the 2007 season. These fish have been considered to be a mixture of juveniles, dominated by those originating from NAFO Subarea 5 spawning components, and are therefore excluded from the 4WX quota.

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