Terms of Reference

Assessment of the Green Sea Urchin stocks in the Northern Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2022

Regional Peer Review – Quebec Region

June 15-16, 2022
Virtual

Chairperson: Charley Cyr

Context

The green sea urchin fishery began in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1991, but did not develop consistently in all regions. Landings can sometimes be quite high and spread over a long period or even cease after only a few years. Since 2004, nearly 98% of green sea urchin landings in Quebec have come from fishing areas 8 and 9 in the St. Lawrence Estuary, mainly from subarea 9-1. The Quebec Region coastline is divided into 14 fishing areas to which access is limited to a restricted number of fishers and divers. The effort is also controlled by the number of dive fishing days, a daily catch limit or a total allowable catch (TAC), a limit on the number of traps (when applicable), and a minimal legal size of 50 mm. The fishery is mostly conducted from March to May and from September to December when gonad yield and quality are highest.The last assessment of this fishery dates back to 2016 and mainly targeted Areas 9 and 11 on Quebec’s North Shore. The Fisheries Management Branch requested a Science Advisory Report on the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence sea urchin stocks for the 2022 to 2024 fishing seasons. The purpose of the review is to determine whether changes in the status of the resource require adjustments to the management measures in accordance with the chosen conservation approach.

Objectives

To develop a Science Advisory Report for the management of green sea urchin stocks in the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence for the 2022-2023 to 2024-2025 fishing seasons for fishing areas 8, 9 and 11.

The advisory report will include:

• a description of the biology of the green sea urchin and its distribution in Quebec’s inshore waters;
• an assessment of the status of sea urchin populations in the areas for which data are available in the form of:
  • landings and effort;
  • catches per unit effort;
  • size structures of the sea urchins landed;
• the most recent knowledge from research surveys conducted on this species;
• identification and prioritization of research projects to be considered for the future;
• perspectives and/or recommendations on management measures for the 2022-2023 to 2024-2025 fishing seasons.

Expected Publications

• Proceedings
• Science Advisory Report

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Science and Fisheries Management sectors)
• Fishing industry
• Provincial representatives
• Aboriginal communities/organizations