2023 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 2023 season dates.
| NAFO Division | Crab Management Area | 2023 Season Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 2HJ | 2H, 2J North | TBD |
| 2J south | All fleets | TBD |
| 3K | 3A | April 14 – July 15 |
| 3B, 3C, 3BC | April 23 – June 30 | |
| 3D, 4 | April 14 – June 30 | |
| 3LNO | 8Bx south | April 10 – July 15 |
| Most Fleets | April 10 – July 31 | |
| 3Ps | All fleets | April 10 – June 30 |
| 4R3Pn | All Fleets | April 10 – 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 2023 is 54,727 tonnes, an overall quota level increase of 8.4% from 2022.
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 | 11,591 |
| 3LNO | 32,224 |
| 3Ps | 8,898 |
| 4R3Pn | 613 |
| CPS Trap Survey | 450 |
| Total | 54,727 |
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 54° 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 | 405 | - |
| 3B | White Bay | 411 | - |
| 3C | Green Bay | 589 | - |
| 3BC | Inshore 3K | 236 | - |
| 3D | Fogo/Twillingate | 1,403 | - |
| 4 | Offshore | 37 | 8,511 |
The 3K TAC is 11,591 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 | 1,097 | - | - | - |
| 6A | Trinity Bay | 1,089 | - | - | - |
| 6B | Conception Bay | 828 | - | - | - |
| 6C | Eastern Avalon (inside 25) | 950 | - | - | - |
| 8A | Southern Shore (inside 25) | 1,014 | - | - | - |
| 9A | St. Mary’s Bay | 531 | - | - | - |
| 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 | - | - | - | 383 |
The 3LNO TAC is 32,224 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 | 3,871 | - |
| 10B | Placentia Bay south of 46o30’N | - | 4,167 |
| 11S | CFA 11 south of 46o30’N | 304 | 334 |
| 11E | CFA 11 east of Western Head | 190 | - |
| 11W | CFA 11 west of Western Head | 33 | - |
The 3Ps TAC is 8,898 tonnes. The 11E quota listed above will be reduced by 0.8 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 | - | 54 |
| 12 | Bay St. George | - | 34 |
| 12A | Lapoile Bay | 2 | - |
| 12B | Cape Ray to Johnson’s Cove | 4 | - |
| 12C | Johnson’s Cove to Cape St. George | 226 | - |
| 12D | Cape St. George to Bear Head | 40 | - |
| 12E | Bear Head to Cape St. Gregory | 46 | - |
| 12F | Inner Bay of Islands | 46 | - |
| 12G | Cape St. Gregory to Broom Point | 49 | - |
| 12H | Broom Point to Table Point | 12 | - |
The 4R3Pn TAC is 613 tonnes. The 12D quota listed above will be reduced by 16.2 tonnes per the quota reconciliation guidelines. The Collaborative Post-Season Trap Survey (Use of Fish) TAC is 450 tonnes.
The overall TAC is 54,727 tonnes.
Management measures
The proposed management approach for 2023 includes 6.4m limit of floating rope, trip and weekly limit requirements in the licence conditions, status quo quota 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. Areas 11E and 12D exceeded their allocations in 2022. As a result, the overage amounts will be deducted from the 2023 fleet allocations.
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.
Division 2HJ
The overall quota of Snow crab in 2HJ will remain status quo in 2023 at 951 tonnes.
Division 3K
The overall quota of Snow crab in 3K will increase by 18% in 2023 to 11,591 tonnes from 9,840 tonnes in 2022.
- Harvest levels in Area 4 and 3D will be increased by 20% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 3C and 3BC will be increased by 7% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 3A and 3B will be increased by 5% in 2023.
Division 3LNO
The overall quota of Snow crab in 3LNO will increase by 4% in 2023 for a total of 32,224 tonnes up from 30,940 in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 6A, 8B, 8Bx, 8Bx North, 8Bx South, NS, MS, MS/Ex, 3L Ex, 3L 200 and 3N 200 will remain status quo in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 3NO 200 (Midshore Fleet) will be increased by 10% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 5A will be increased by 12% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 6B will be increased by 15% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 6C will be increased by 60% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 8A will be increased by 80% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 9A will be increased by 70% in 2023.
Subdivision 3Ps
The overall quota for Snow crab in Sub- division 3Ps will be increased by 15% in 2023 to 8,898 tonnes from 7,768 tonnes in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 10A and 11S will be increased by 20% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 11E will be increased by 14% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 10B will be increased by 10% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 11W will remain status quo in 2023.
Division 4R and Subdivision 3Pn
The overall quota for Snow crab in division 4R and sub-division 3Pn will be increased by 17% in 2023 to 613 tonnes from 522 tonnes in 2022.
- Harvest levels in 12C and Bay St. George will be increased by 30% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 12D will be increased by 4% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in 12E, 12F and Bay of Islands will be increased by 15% in 2023.
- Harvest levels in Outside 8, 12A, 12B, 12G and 12H will remain unchanged in 2023.
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: