Terms of Reference

Moult timing of legal-sized male Dungeness Crabs in Crab Management Areas E, G, and H in British Columbia

Regional Peer Review – Pacific Region

July 9, 2014
Nanaimo, BC

Co-Chairs: Janet Lochead, Nicholas Duprey

Context

Commercial fishing for Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) occurs throughout British Columbia (BC).  The fishery is managed under a precautionary regime that includes a minimum harvestable size limit, sex restriction, limited commercial licensing, area licensing, trap limits, soak limits, and gear restrictions.  Additionally, in some areas of the coast, fishing closures to protect crab during the vulnerable soft shell stage of moulting from handling injury and mortality have already been implemented.

Three of seven Crab Management Areas (CMAs) in BC (Areas I and J, Fraser River area; and Area A, Hecate Strait/McIntyre Bay) have seasonal closures to protect large male crabs during the vulnerable soft shell stage of moulting. Seasonal closures’ opening and closing times are set in the Crab-By-Trap Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP), although in CMA A there is a voluntary a soft shell sampling program paid for by Industry, if industry desires harvesting to occur during the annual spring soft shell closure. Information from the soft shell sampling program is used by fisheries managers and Industry to better understand variability in moult timing and to potentially adjust in-season fishery timing.

Four CMAs in BC (B, E, G, H) are currently not managed using seasonal soft shell closures as moult timing in these areas is largely unknown.  In 2009, the industry-sponsored Dungeness Crab biological sampling program was expanded in CMAs E, G, and H to collect fisheries independent and dependent crab biological data monthly to identify moulting periods of legal crabs, as large males are targeted by the fishery and managers currently do not manage around moult times of sub-legal males and females.  Data were collected from CMAs E, G and H from 2009 to 2013 (5 years). No such expanded sampling program was implemented in CMA B.  After consultations with DFO, Industry, and Service Providers, the crab biological sampling program was improved to incorporate a long-term vision of departmental data requirements other than moult timing and to reduce costs to Industry. The modified sampling program, which still requires both fishery independent and dependent sampling, was implemented in 2013 in Area B and 2014 in Areas E, G, and H and may remain a condition of license for years to come.

Fisheries Resource Management Branch has requested that Science Branch provide an analysis of crab biological data collected in 2009 - 2013 from the expanded sampling program to evaluate the timing and magnitude of soft shell occurrence in legal male crabs in CMAs that do not currently have seasonal closures. The expanded sampling program was not conducted in Area B during this time period; therefore data from Areas E, G, and H will be included.  This analysis will inform consultations and potential management measures (such as seasonal closures) to reduce fishing impacts, including handling injuries and mortality, on vulnerable soft shell crabs.

Objectives

Meeting participants will review the working paper:

Waddell, B, J.S. Dunham, and I. Perry. Moult timing of legal-sized male Dungeness Crabs in Crab Management Areas E, G, and H in British Columbia. 2014. CSAP Working Paper 2014-15/INV 07.

The working paper will be used to provide advice with respect to the following objectives

1. Analyze fisheries independent crab biological data collected from 2009 to 2013 in CMA’s E, G, and H to determine “soft shell periods” for legal sized male Dungeness Crabs.
2. Confirm that the soft shell periods determined from fishery independent survey data are evident in records of soft shell catch sampled from the commercial fishery.
3. Evaluate the uncertainties and confidence bounds in the determined “soft shell periods”, including possible limitations to the data and methods of the analysis.

Expected Publications

• CSAS Science Advisory Report
• CSAS Research Document
• CSAS Proceedings

Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) MEAD, FAM
• First Nations with traditional territories in Areas E, G, H
• Industry commercial crab fishery area reps (in particular Areas E, G, H)
• Service Providers (Pacific Coast Fisheries Services (PCFS) and Ecotrust) responsible for collecting crab biological data
• Conservation and Protection Branch
• Sport Fish Advisory Board (SFAB)
• Marine Fisheries Management, Province of BC
• UBC Fisheries Center