Terms of Reference

Eastern Scotian Shelf Northern Shrimp Assessment

Regional Advisory Meeting – Maritimes Region

December 13–14, 2021
Virtual Meeting

Chairperson: Tara McIntyre

Context

The Northern or Pink Shrimp, Pandalus borealis, is the only shrimp species of commercial importance in the DFO Maritimes Region. The fishery consists of 28 DFO Maritimes Region-based licences, mostly less than 65 ft length overall, and 14 DFO Gulf Region-based licenses 65–100 ft length overall. All mobile licences have been under Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) since 1998. A competitive trap fishery with 14 licences is largely restricted to Chedabucto Bay. The fishery operates under an ‘evergreen’ management plan, which documents sharing agreements between fleet sectors.

The first Eastern Scotian Shelf Northern Shrimp Framework Review occurred in 2015 (Hardie et al. 2018). Various assessment methodologies were reviewed and the continued use of the Traffic Light Approach was supported as the framework to assess the stock health. The status of Eastern Scotian Shelf shrimp was last assessed in December 2020 (DFO 2021).

Over recent years, environmental indicators have been highlighted as the main drivers on Northern Shrimp stock health. Further, national and regional developments on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management led to the Northern Shrimp stock becoming a case study for development of a Surplus Production Model. This model is intended to incorporate the most relevant environmental variables (temperature and predation) to account for effects on annual biomass estimates. Preliminary work on the development of the surplus production model will be presented at this meeting for information purposes.

This science peer review process will assess status of the Eastern Scotian Shelf shrimp (Shrimp Fishing Areas 13–15) using the Traffic Light Approach and present preliminary work from the Surplus Production Model.

Objectives

• Assess the overall status of Eastern Scotian Shelf shrimp (Shrimp Fishing Areas 13–15) as of the fall of 2021, including stock abundance and exploitation rate.
• Evaluate the consequences of different harvest levels during the 2021 fishery on stock abundance and exploitation rate.
• Update descriptive information related to the fishery, survey, biology, and ecosystem interactions of the target species.
• Report on the bycatch of non-target species in observed trips in the 2021 fishery, including the abundance of bycatch species relative to the amount of shrimp caught in the fishery that year and any notable changes in their occurrence relative to previous years.
• Review updated data sources and stock health indicators.
• Presentation of preliminary work on development of a Surplus Production Model for biomass estimation.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Research Document
• Proceedings

Expected Participation

• DFO Science
• DFO Resource Management
• Indigenous Communities/Organizations
• Industry stakeholders
• Provincial representative
• Non-government organizations
• Other invited experts

References

• Hardie, D., Covey, M., and Cook, A. 2018. 2015 Eastern Scotian Shelf Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) Framework. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2018/005. vi + 117 p.