Science Response 2021/003

Update of indicators of the Saguenay Fjord winter recreational groundfish fishery, 2019-2020

Context

Information from the Saguenay Fjord winter recreational groundfish fishery monitoring program is reviewed every two years.

According to the last assessment conducted in November 2018, catch rates of the main species harvested were generally low and stable, and it was recommended that fishing effort be maintained at levels similar to previous years for the 2019 and 2020 fishing seasons. However, Atlantic cod and Greenland halibut catch rates have been increasing since 2013, and the outlook for redfish was encouraging, given the arrival of strong cohorts in the Saguenay. In addition, studies carried out about a decade ago suggested that marine fish populations in the Saguenay Fjord, specifically Atlantic cod and redfish, are “sink” population and that recruitment to them is dependent on the influx of juveniles from the St. Lawrence Estuary. Although groundfish reproduction does occur in the Saguenay, larval survival in these species may be jeopardized by conditions in the warm and brackish surface layer, preventing significant local contribution to recruitment. The status of marine fish populations in the Saguenay is therefore closely tied to the status of Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence stocks.

In this context, and given the fluctuations seen in the abundance of certain species in the Saguenay as well as the precarious situation of the St. Lawrence groundfish stocks that are the source of recruitment for the populations in the Saguenay, Fisheries Management would like an update of the indicators to determine if the management measures in place should be adjusted for future fishing seasons. The recreational fishery is currently managed through a fishing season and daily catch limits.

This update presents an analysis of the most recent data obtained from the recreational fishery monitoring program, specifically from the logbook initiative introduced in 2015. The gillnet scientific survey that was carried out by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) every April from 2000 to 2018 is no longer conducted. No fishery-independent data were available for this update.

This Science Response results from the Science Response Process of November 12, 2020 on the Update of Indicators of the Saguenay Fjord Winter Recreational Groundfish Fishery.

Science Response 2021/003 (PDF, 2,424 KB)

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