2022 Snow crab fishery, Newfoundland and Labrador
Snow Crab fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador (Areas 2HJ, 3KLNO, 3Ps, and 4R3Pn)
Fishing season
The following table contains three columns. The first column lists each NAFO Division. The second column lists the Crab Fishing Area. The third column lists the 2022 season dates.
| NAFO Division | Crab Management Area | 2022 season dates |
|---|---|---|
| 2HJ | 2H, 2J North | TBD |
| 2J south | All fleets | TBD |
| 3K | 3A | April 18 – July 15 |
| 3B, 3C, 3BC | April 24 – June 30 | |
| 3D, 4 | April 14 – June 30 | |
| 3LNO | 8Bx south | April 4 – July 15 |
| Most Fleets | April 4 – July 31 | |
| 3Ps | All fleets | April 4 – June 30 |
| 4R3Pn | Most Fleets | April 4 – June 15 |
| 12G, 12H | April 11 – June 15 |
Season dates listed in the table above reflect the dates when harvesters will be allowed to set their gear.
Total allowable catch
The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Newfoundland and Labrador Region in 2022 is 50,470 tonnes, an overall quota level increase of 32% from 2021. This includes no change in 2H, a 28% decrease in 2J, a 32% increase in 3K, a 23% increase in 3LNO, a 54% increase in the 3Ps quota, a 49% increase in 4R3Pn, and an increase of 50 tonnes for the Collaborative Post-Season Trap Survey (Use of Fish) quota.
The following table contains two columns. The first column lists the area. The second column lists the quota in tonnes. The last row identifies the total allowable catch.
| Area | Quota (t)* |
|---|---|
| 2HJ | 951 |
| 3K | 9,840 |
| 3LNO | 30,940 |
| 3Ps | 7,768 |
| 4R3Pn | 522 |
| CPS Trap Survey | 450 |
| Total | 50,470 |
The following table contains five columns. The first column lists the Crab Management Area. The second column lists the area description. The third column lists the inshore quota(s). The fourth column lists the fulltime - large supplementary quotas. The fifth column lists the communal quota.
| Area | Description | Inshore | Fulltime & Supplementary | Communal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2H | North of 56o 00’ N | - | - | 100 |
| 2J north | North of 54o 40’ N to 56o 00’ N | - | - | 109 |
| 2J south | South of 54o 40’ N | 148 | 594 | - |
The 2HJ TAC is 951 tonnes.
The following table contains four columns. The first column lists the Crab Management Area. The second column lists the area description. The third column lists the inshore quota(s). The fourth column lists the fulltime - large supplementary quotas.
| Area | Description | Inshore | Fulltime & Supplementary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3A | Canada Bay | 385 | - |
| 3B | White Bay | 391 | - |
| 3C | Green Bay | 550 | - |
| 3BC | Inshore 3K | 221 | - |
| 3D | Fogo/Twillingate | 1,169 | - |
| 4 | Offshore | 31 | 7,092 |
The 3K TAC is 9,840 tonnes.
The following table contains six columns. The first column lists the Crab Management Area. The second column lists the area description. The third column lists the inshore quota(s). The fourth column lists the small supplementary or commercial quotas. The fifth column lists the fulltime - large supplementary quotas. The sixth column lists the greater than 65 foot quotas.
| Area | Description | Inshore | Small Supplementary | Fulltime & Supplementary | > 65' |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5A | Bonavista Bay | 980 | - | - | - |
| 6A | Trinity Bay | 1,089 | - | - | - |
| 6B | Conception Bay | 720 | - | - | - |
| 6C | Eastern Avalon (inside 25) | 594 | - | - | - |
| 8A | Southern Shore (inside 25) | 563 | - | - | - |
| 9A | St. Mary’s Bay | 313 | - | - | - |
| 8B | Southern Avalon (offshore) | - | 786 | - | - |
| 8Bx | Southern Avalon | - | 110 | - | - |
| 8Bx North | Northern portion of Southern Avalon | - | 521 | - | - |
| 8Bx South | Southern portion of Southern Avalon | - | 622 | - | - |
| NS | Nearshore | - | 5,326 | - | - |
| MS | Midshore | - | 5,017 | 2,082 | - |
| MS/EX | Mid-shore extended | - | - | 5,793 | - |
| 3L EX | Between 170 and 200 miles | - | - | 3,910 | - |
| 3L 200 | 3L Outside 200 miles | - | - | 1,298 | - |
| 3N 200 | 3N Outside 200 miles | - | - | 868 | - |
| 3NO 200 | 3NO Outside 200 miles | - | - | - | 348 |
The 3LNO TAC is 30,940 tonnes.
The following table contains four columns. The first column lists the Crab Management Area. The second column lists the area description. The third column lists the inshore quota(s). The fourth column lists the small supplementary quota(s).
| Area | Description | Inshore | Small Supplementary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10A | Placentia Bay north of 46o30’N | 3,226 | - |
| 10B | Placentia Bay south of 46o30’N | - | 3,788 |
| 11S | CFA 11 south of 46o30’N | 253 | 278 |
| 11E | CFA 11 east of Western Head | 190 | - |
| 11W | CFA 11 west of Western Head | 33 | - |
The 3Ps TAC is 7,768 tonnes. The 11E quota listed above will be reduced by 24.5 tonnes per the quota reconciliation guidelines.
The following table contains four columns. The first column lists the Crab Management Area. The second column lists the area description. The third column lists the inshore quota(s). The fourth column lists the commercial quotas.
| Area | Description | Inshore | Commercial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Outside of 8 mile - Group 1 | - | 10 |
| 12 | Outside of 8 mile - Group 2 | - | 73 |
| 12 | Outside of 8 mile - Group 3 | - | 18 |
| 12 | Bay of Islands | - | 47 |
| 12 | Bay St. George | - | 26 |
| 12A | Lapoile Bay | 2 | - |
| 12B | Cape Ray to Johnson’s Cove | 4 | - |
| 12C | Johnson’s Cove to Cape St. George | 174 | - |
| 12D | Cape St. George to Bear Head | 29 | - |
| 12E | Bear Head to Cape St. Gregory | 40 | - |
| 12F | Inner Bay of Islands | 40 | - |
| 12G | Cape St. Gregory to Broom Point | 49 | - |
| 12H | Broom Point to Table Point | 12 | - |
The 4R3Pn TAC is 522 tonnes. The 12D quota listed above will be reduced by 5.8 tonnes per the quota reconciliation guidelines.
The Collaborative Post-Season Trap Survey (Use of Fish) TAC is 450 tonnes.
The overall TAC is 50,470 tonnes.
Management measures
The proposed management approach for 2022 includes 6.4m limit of floating rope, the continuation of the soft-shell protocol, decreasing quota levels in Divisions 2HJ and increasing quota levels in Divisions 3K, 3LNO, 4R3Pn and Subdivision 3Ps.
Areas 11E, 11W, 12A, 12B, 12D and 12H will continue to operate under a harvesting cap management regime. Area 12G will reopen after a 2-year closure. The outer boundary lines from the 5A exclusion zone will be removed. In addition, grid based soft-shell protocols are continued in all areas. Areas closed as a result of soft-shell Crab will remain closed for the remainder of the year. Grids closed for soft-shell crab in Shrimp Fishing Areas 4, 5 or 6 will also be closed to Shrimp harvesting for 60 days. All season closure dates are subject to modification if there is a high incidence of soft-shell Crab encountered in the fishery.
Areas 11E and 12D operate under a harvesting cap system and exceeded their allocations in 2021. As a result, the overage amounts will be deducted from the 2022 fleet allocations.
Division 2HJ
The overall quota of Snow crab in 2J will be decreased by 28% in 2022 to 851 tonnes from 1,187 tonnes while 2H will remain unchanged in 2021 at 100 tonnes.
- Harvest levels in 2J North will be decreased by 45% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 2J South will be decreased by 25% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 2H will remain unchanged in 2022.
Division 3K
The overall quota of Snow crab in 3K will increase by 32% in 2022 to 9,840 tonnes from 7,454 tonnes in 2021.
- Harvest levels in Area 4 will be increased by 40% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 3A and 3D will be increased by 20% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 3C will be increased by 10% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 3BC will be increased by 8% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 3B will be increased by 7% in 2022.
Division 3LNO
The overall quota of Snow crab in 3LNO will be increased by 23% in 2022 to 30,940 tonnes from 23,648 tonnes in 2021.
- Harvest levels in 3N 200 and 3NO 200 will be increased by 75% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 8Bx North will be increased by 45% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in the Nearshore, Midshore extended and 3L 200 will be increased by 40% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 3L extended and 8A will be increased by 35% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 6B, 6C, 9A, 8B, 8Bx and 8Bx South will be increased by 25% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in the Midshore will be increased by 20% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 5A will be increased by 10% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 6A will remain unchanged in 2022.
Subdivision 3Ps
The overall quota for Snow crab in Sub- division 3Ps will be increased by 54% in 2022 to 7,768 tonnes from 5,047 tonnes in 2021.
- Harvest levels in 10A will be increased by 60% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 10B, 11S will be increased by 50% in 2022
- Harvest levels in 11E will be increased by 39% in 2022.
- Harvest levels for area 11W will remain unchanged in 2022.
Division 4R and Subdivision 3Pn
The overall quota for Snow crab in division 4R and sub-division 3Pn will be increased by 49% in 2022 to 522 tonnes from 350 tonnes in 2021.
- Harvest levels in 12C and Bay St. George will be increased by 50% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 12E, 12F, Bay of Islands and Outside of 8 miles will be increased by 25% in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 12D will be increased by 20% in 2022.
- Harvest levels 12A, 12B and 12H will remain unchanged in 2022.
- Area 12G will reopen in 2022 after a 2-year closure.
In an effort to ensure the overall amount of crab allocated to harvesters does not exceed the quotas allocated, there may be some variance between the individual harvest level increases noted above and the total quota increases by Crab Management Area.
Links to other information
- The Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Science Advisory Reports on stock status
- Newfoundland and Labrador Region Statistical Reports
- Date modified: