Post-season Survey, Snow Crab, Area 13 North

Description

Snow Crab fishing Area 13 in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence was closed from 2003 to 2007, then reopened with precautionary Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits, which were gradually increased based on stock response to harvesting. This post-season sampling survey, led by snow crab expert Jean Lambert from the Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Quebec, will enable DFO to establish an optimal TAC for Area 13 and will inform DFO fish management and the industry about the productivity of snow crab in very cold waters, as Area 13 is always very cold due to the influx of the cold Labrador current. The research will provide information about cold water productivity that can be compared to snow crab productivity in waters experiencing strong warming trends due to climate change. In general, snow crab thrive in deep, cold water, so this research will provide information on snow crab tolerance and adaptation to major habitat changes in some areas. With this information researchers will also be able to draw a medium-term comparison with changes in other snow crab areas in the Gulf.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2017

Ecoregion(s)

Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (Atlantic)

Principal Investigator(s)

Jean Lambert
DFO Quebec

Co-leader(s)

Glen Ransom
President, Lower North Shore Fishermen’s Association

Paul Nadeau
Representative, Association des pêcheurs de la Basse-Côte-Nord (APBCN)