Research Document - 2010/125

Wolffish (Anarhichas sp.) landings in the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (1960–2009) recorded in commercial fisheries statistics

By J.-F. Ouellet, J.-D. Dutil, and T. Hurlbut

Abstract

Commercial landings data for the wolffishes (Anarhichas denticulatus, Anarhichas minor and Anarhichas lupus) were compiled from Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and Zonal Interchange File Format (ZIFF) files for NAFO divisions 4RST. In both datasets, the landing data were not broken down by species for the period from 1960 to 2004, which precludes species-specific analyses. Since 2005, most landing reports have identified the species landed but fishermen have only been permitted to land Atlantic wolffish (A. lupus). The NAFO statistics indicate that wolffish landings in NAFO divisions 4RST averaged 216 metric tons per year during the period 1960–1998 and the ZIFF statistics indicate an average of 100 metric tons per year during  the time period 1985-2009. The reported landings of wolffish occurred mainly during fishing activities directed toward Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and 3 species of flatfish. In the ZIFF statistics, the majority of the landings were from division 4R (80.7% of total landed catch in weight, with 13.1% from 4S and only 6.1% from 4T). Sub-divisions 4Rb, 4Rc and 4Rd were the hot spots with an average landed catch of 2,112 kg per year per 1,000 km² for the three species and three sub-divisions combined. Throughout the time series covered by the NAFO statistics (1960–1998) hook and line gears, primarily longlines, were the most important gears followed by bottom trawls. In the ZIFF statistics, which cover a more recent time period than the NAFO statistics (i.e., 1985–2009), longlines and gillnets collectively contributed two thirds of the total number of reports of wolffish landings with longlines accounting for as much as 72.0% of the total landed catch in weight. There was a significant negative trend in LPUE over the period from 1985 to 2009 in 4RST; a similar pattern was observed in the three sub-divisions where longline landings and LPUE were greatest (4Rb, 4Rc, and 4Rd).

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