Terms of Reference

Stock Status Update of Northern Shrimp on the Eastern Scotian Shelf

Regional Peer Review - Maritimes Region

December 12, 2024

Virtual

Chairperson: Jenni McDermid

Context

The Northern 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 during a science advisory process in December 2021 (DFO 2022). The status of eastern Scotian Shelf Shrimp was last updated during a science response process in January 2024 (DFO 2024).

In support of the decision-making for the 2025 fishery, DFO Maritimes Resource Management has requested an assessment of resource status from DFO Maritimes Science.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this regional peer review process are:

• Assess the overall status of eastern Scotian Shelf shrimp (Shrimp Fishing Areas 13–15) as of the fall of 2024, including stock abundance and exploitation rate.
• Provide stock status under the precautionary approach strategy and its established reference points to help describe the 2024 outlook in order to give the best available information for determining the harvest levels for the 2025 fishery season.
• Update descriptive information related to the fishery, survey, and biology of the target species.
• Provide advice on environmental variables and their impact on ecosystems and the target species.
• Report on the bycatch of non-target species in observed trips in the 2024 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.

Expected Publications

• Science Response

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Resource Management and Science sectors

References

• DFO. 2024. 2023 Stock Status Update of Eastern Scotian Shelf Northern Shrimp (SFAs 13–15). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Resp. 2024/012.
• DFO. 2022. 2021 Assessment of Northern Shrimp on the Eastern Scotian Shelf (SFAs 13–15). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2022/033.
• 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.