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Research Document - 2013/111

The 2012 assessment of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) stock in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Areas 12, 19, 12E and 12F)

By M. Hébert, E. Wade, P. DeGrâce, J.-F. Landry, and M. Moriyasu

Abstract

The 2012 assessment of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio, stock (Areas 12, 19, 12E and 12F) is presented. Snow crab management Areas 12, 19, 12E and 12F comprise a single biological population and the sGSL stock is considered as one unit for assessment purposes. The 2012 assessment was conducted as per the recommendations of the Snow Crab Assessment Methods Framework Science Review held November 2011. The major change to the assessment methodology in 2012 was a revised sampling design that distributed sampling effort equally among 325 sampling grids. The exploitation rate of the 2012 fishery in the sGSL was 34.8%. The 2012 post-fishery survey biomass of commercial-sized adult male crabs was estimated at 74,997 t (95% confidence intervals 65,822 to 85,086 t), an increase of 18.7% from 2011. The available biomass for the 2013 fishery, derived from the 2012 survey, is within the healthy zone of the PA Framework. The residual biomass (26,028 t) from the 2012 survey decreased by 22.9% compared to 2011. Sixty-five percent (65%) of the 2012 survey biomass, available for the 2013 fishery, is composed of new recruitment (48,969 t). The recruitment to the commercial biomass from the 2012 survey increased by 66.7% relative to the previous year. The available predictions of recruitment of commercial-sized adult male crab indicate that they should remain at levels comparable to that of 2012 until the 2016 fishery. A risk analysis of catch options relative to reference points for the 2013 fishery is provided.

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