2020 -Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and allocation for the scientific survey for snow crab in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence for Areas 12, 12E, 12F and 19

Moncton and Quebec – March 23, 2020

Precautionary Approach Harvest Decision Rules and Total Allowable Catch

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announces the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Snow Crab
in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (SGSL). By applying the harvest decision rules of the Precautionary Approach, the TAC for the 2020 fishery will be set at 31,340.65 t based on an exploitation rate of 40.6%. This takes into consideration a lower exploitation rate of 25.015% in Crab Fishing Area (CFA) 12F, at the request of this fleet, as a precautionary measure.

Scientific Survey Quota

In accordance with Section 10 of the Fisheries Act, a quota of 450 t of Snow Crab has been identified to assist with the financing of the annual scientific trawl survey, which is part of the DFO-Industry joint project to fund science support for effective management of the SGSL Snow Crab stock. This allocation will be taken off the top of the 2020 TAC.

As in 2019, a joint project agreement will be in place with eight Snow Crab fish harvesters associations who expressed interest in the project and will manage and transfer the necessary funds to carry out DFO’s scientific survey and supporting research activities.

The eight associations will designate the Association des Crabiers Acadiens (ACA) to manage the associated quota. The ACA will be contacting the various groups representing the SGSL stakeholders, as well as Indigenous communities and the new access, to offer them the option to acquire a share of this allocation for the purpose of funding the 2020 scientific survey.

Distribution of the TAC

The distribution of the TAC in each of the management zones in the SGSL and the scientific survey allocation is as follows:

Other information

Details on management measures for each CFA will follow in separate notices to fish harvesters.

For more information