Proceedings 2024/027
Proceedings of the Maritimes Regional Peer Review of the Framework Review for Stock Assessment of Offshore Whelk in 4Vs and 4W; May 17-18, 2022
Chairpersons: Leslie Nasmith and Rabindra Singh
Editors: Rabindra Singh
Summary
Buccinum undatum, the waved whelk, is a ubiquitous marine gastropod within the North Atlantic. Their reproductive cycle involves internal fertilization and direct development of larvae within demersal egg capsules. This lack of planktonic larvae coupled with limited adult movement results in a limited dispersal in this species. Whelk exhibit variation in life history characteristics as well as genetic differentiation over relatively small spatial scales making their populations vulnerable to local depletion or even extirpation, and slow to recover from their removal. There is currently an exploratory whelk fishery in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Divisions 4W and 4Vs. There are no independent surveys and thus information on these stocks is based on data collected by fishery. This assessment framework review was undertaken to enable Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Science to address requests from DFO Resource Management and provide advice on the stock status of whelk to guide decisions in the management of offshore 4Vs and 4W whelk including the viability of commercial fisheries, the management of food, social, and ceremonial allocations, and commercial quota allocations. This meeting was held virtually on May 17–18, 2022, using Microsoft Teams and participants included experts from DFO Science, DFO Resource Management, the Province of Nova Scotia, academics, aboriginal communities/organizations, the fishing industry and non-government organizations.
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