Research Document - 2014/085
Review of the 2013 snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery 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 review of the 2013 snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Areas 12, 19, 12E and 12F) is presented. Total landings in the sGSL in 2013 were 26,049 t out of a quota of 25,949 t. In Area 12, landings were 22,645 t (quota of 22,548 t). The mean catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) from logbooks increased in 2013 (76.4 kg per trap hauled (kg/th)) compared to 2012 (68.0 kg/th). The mean size of commercial-sized adult males remained high in 2013 at 111.3 mm of carapace width (CW). The incidence of soft-shelled crab was low at 2.8%, lower than in 2012 (3.7%). In Area 19, landings reached 2,657 t (quota of 2,654 t). The mean CPUE remained high at 148.5 kg/th, a decrease compared to 2012 (178.1 kg/th). The mean size of commercial-sized crabs increased in 2013 (116.5 mm CW) compared to 2012 (114.8 mm CW). The incidence of white crabs decreased from 4.5% in 2012 to 3.0% in 2013. In Areas 12E and 12F, landings were 204 t (quota of 204 t) and 543 t (quota of 543 t), respectively. In Area 12E, the mean CPUE increased in 2013 (40.1 kg/th) compared to 2012 (32.9 kg/th). The incidence of soft-shelled crab increased from 3.3% in 2012 to 15.9% in 2013. In Area 12F, the mean CPUE increased from 41.8 kg/th in 2012 to 49.0 kg/th in 2013 while the incidence of soft-shelled crabs decreased from 9.4% in 2012 to 2.5% in 2013.
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