Development of selective pelagic trawl and sustainable redfish fishery

Description

According to the most recent stock assessments of redfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and in Atlantic waters south of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, this stock is on the point of coming back strongly. If there were to be a return to a large commercial fishery, it would be necessary to use fishing gear limiting the bycatch of other species and the taking of undersize redfish. In addition, the use of a pelagic trawl would allow the impact on the sea floor to be limited, which is in keeping with Canadian policy on the protection of sea pens and corals. Therefore, biologist Claude Brassard of the Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Quebec, will lead a project to test new fishing gear with partners specialized in the field. Data will be collected using various gear configurations in test trawls over three fishing seasons. Results will inform fisheries management decision-making and help determine whether gear changes should be considered by industry for a sustainable redfish fishery and to meet eco-certification requirements.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2017 - 2019

Ecoregion(s)

Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Claude Brassard
DFO Quebec

Co-leaders

Damien Grelon
Fishery Manager, Merinov, Quebec Fisheries and Aquaculture Innovation Centre

Fédération des pêcheurs semi-hauturiers du Québec (FPSHQ)