Research Document 1997/15
Description of the capelin (Mallotus villosus) fishery in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, 1996
By François Grégoire, Charlyne Lévesque, and Jocelyne Hudon
Abstract
Capelin landings in NAFO divisions 4RST stood at 6,509 t in 1996, with most of this catch coming from the purse seine fishery on the west coast of Newfoundland. In 1996, the management measure with respect to 50 capelin per kilo was eliminated; however in exchange, TACs were reduced by 16%. By-catches of capelin for shrimpers as a whole were an estimated 740 t. During the groundfish and shrimp assessment survey by the ALFRED NEEDLER in 1996, more capelin were caught than in previous years. The two abundance indices complied from the survey, mean weight per set and occurrence percentages, reached maximum values. However, since the survey was not actually designed for pelagic fish like capelin, and since capelin is an important dietary item for some commercially valuable marine fish species, a cautious approach to harvesting the stock is still in order.
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