Research Document - 1999/019

Le crabe des neiges de l'estuaire et du nord du golfe du Saint-Laurent: État des populations de 1995 à 1998.

By R. Dufour, and J.P. Dallaire

Abstract

This document reviews the status of the snow crab stocks of the estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence from 1995 to 1998. It contains all biological and management data on snow crab that was used to produce the annual stock status reports for snow crab in this territory for the above period.

The years 1995 to 1998 were an important period in the evolution of snow crab stocks in the estuary and northern Gulf. Research carried out in the 1990s revealed that recruitment of these stocks varies over an intrinsic cycle of approximately eight years during which 3 year-classes of low abundance (recruitment low) follow 5 year-classes of moderate to high abundance (recruitment wave). Thus, a recruitment low composed of the 1985 to 1987 year-classes entered the fishery of 1995 to 1997 and was followed by the first year-class (1988) of the 1998-2002 recruitment wave.

The fluctuations in recruitment, and thus in the commercial biomass of available crab, had significant repercussions on the fishery, specifically a decline in catches and yields. The impact of the recruitment low followed by an initial year of the next recruitment wave was not felt uniformly throughout the territory. The effects of the recruitment low of 1995 to 1997 (decline in yields, stabilization or decrease in size and aging of commercial crab) and the beginning of the recruitment wave in 1998 (stabilization or increase in yields and size of commercial crab and end of aging) were more apparent in the western part of the territory (Area 17 and west of Area 16) than in the eastern part (east of Area 16 and Areas 15 to 13).

The fishery was gradually adjusted during this period and catches declined by 23% throughout the territory until 1997, before picking up again in 1998 in the western sectors of the territory. However, given the significant fishing effort and the lack of data, the status of snow crab populations in sectors further east appears to be more critical and is of particular concern to us. Further research and ongoing cooperation between the fishing communities of these sectors and DFO will be required in order to obtain the data needed to gain a clearer understanding of the present and future condition of these stocks.

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