Archived – Snow Crab Fishing Areas 2J, 3KLNO, 3Ps, 4R3Pn

Species and Area

Snow crab fishery in areas 2J, 3KLNO, 3Ps, and 4R3Pn (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Dates of season

AREA	2010 Season Dates
2J	2J North: June 15 – August 30 2J South: May 1 – July 15
3K	3A: April 1- July 7 3B, 3C, 3BC: April 1 – June 30 3D: April 1 – June 15 4: April 1 – June 10
3LNO	April 1 – July 31
3Ps	April 1 – May 31 10A: April 1 – June 30
4R3Pn	April 1 – June 30

All season closure dates are subject to modification if there is a high incidence of soft shelled crab encountered in the fishery. An individual quota (IQ) is not a guarantee the crab will be landed.

Total Allowable Catch and Sharing Arrangements (if applicable)

While there is small increase (4%) in the overall quota levels for 2010, there are quota reductions in some areas of Divisions 2J (10%) and 3K (12%). The level of reduction implemented in 3K offshore is mitigated by the implementation of a very early closing date of June 10.
Subdivision 3Ps will see an increase in quotas of 18%, while the overall increase for 3LNO is 11%. The quota in 4R will remain unchanged. 2010 is the second year of the 2-year voluntary closure of Area 12G (Bonne Bay). There will be no change in the quota level in 2H.

Snow Crab Quotas 2010

AREA	2010 Quota (t)
2J	2,227
3K	14,440
3LNO	32,284
3Ps	6,205
4R3Pn	908
Total Quota	56,064

2010 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 2J
Description	Inshore	Supplementary	Fulltime	Communal	Total
2H Communal South of 55o 50’ N				100	100
2J Communal North of 54o 40’ N				362	362
2J Offshore		1,200	240		1,440
2J Inshore	325				325
Total	325	1,200	240	462	2,227

2010 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 3K
Area	Description	Inshore	Supplementary	Fulltime	Total
3A	Canada Bay	425			425
3B	White Bay	520			520
3C	Green Bay	700			700
3D	Fogo/Twillingate	1,500			1,500
3BC	Inshore 3K	250			250
4	Nearshore 3K	45			45
4	Offshore 3K		8,430	2,570	11,000
Total		3,440	8,430	2,570	14,440

2010 QUOTAS (t) DIVISION 3LNO Inside 200 Miles
Area	Description	Inshore	Small Supplementary	Large Supplementary	Fulltime	Total
5A	Bonavista Bay	1,637				1,637
6A	Trinity Bay	1,230				1,230
6B	Conception Bay	1,320				1,320
6C	Eastern Avalon (inside 25)	1,576				1,576
8A	Southern Shore (inside 25)	1,060				1,060
9A	St. Mary’s Bay	626				626
NS	Near Shore		5690			5,690
MS	Mid Shore		3,450	692	741	4883
8B	Southern Avalon (offshore)		650			650
8Bx	Southern Avalon		2,775			2,775
MS/EX	Mid-shore extended			1,670	1,618	3,288
170-200	Between 170 and 200 miles			1,652	1170	2,822
Total		7,449	12,565	4,014	3529	27,557

2010 Quotas Outside 200 Miles
FLEET	Total
3L Fulltime	1,307
3L Supplementary (>40 grt)	2,700
Fixed gear vessels >65’	720
TOTAL	4,727

2010 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 3Ps
AREA	Description	Inshore	Supplementary	Total
10A	Placentia Bay north of 46o30’N	1,900		1,900
10BCD	CFA 10 from 46o30’N to 45o35’N		3,300	3,300
10X	CFA 10 south of 45o35’N		590	590
11S	CFA 11 south of 46o30’N (>35’ fleet)	55	230	285
11SX		130		130
Total		2,085	4,120	6,205

2010 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 4R3Pn
Description	Inshore	Commercial		Total
South of Table Pt, 3Pn (outside 8) Group 1		38		38
South of Table Pt, 3Pn (outside 8) Group 2		307		307
South of Table Pt, 3Pn (outside 8) Group 3		73		73
Bay of Islands		64		64
Bay St. George		15		15
Lapoile Bay	8			8
Cape Ray to Johnson’s Cove	18			18
Johnson’s Cove to Cp St. George	143			143
Cape St. George to Bear Head	76			76
Bear Head to Cape St. Gregory	56			56
Inner Bay of Islands	54			54
Cape St. Gregory to Broom Point	Voluntary 2-Year Moratoria
Broom Point to Table Point	56			56
Total	412		498	908

Management Measures

This is the second year of a three-year (2009-2011) Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP). The document has recently been finalized in the new IFMP format and expected to be posted online soon.

The management approach supports sustainability of the snow crab resource, and recognizes improvements in the resource due to recent management measures developed between Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists, fisheries managers and crab harvesters. This approach includes the continuation of early and shortened fishing seasons, mandatory sorting of undersized crab on deck, improved soft-shell protocols with effective monitoring, at-sea observer coverage, quota increases in some areas that showed improvements in 2009 and quota decreases in areas where the resource declined.

Some fleets will be ready to fish immediately. An early opening in these areas is essential to providing the best opportunity to avoid high incidence of soft shell during the fishery and to spread the landings over a longer period of time, consistent with market considerations and the Ocean–to-Plate direction. In addition grid based soft-shell protocols are continued in all areas. Areas closed as a result of soft-shell crab will remain closed for the remainder of the year. All season closure dates are subject to modification if there is a high incidence of soft shelled crab encountered in the fishery. An individual quota (IQ) does not guarantee that it will be landed.

Area specific measures
Division 2J
The snow crab quota allocation in Division 2J will decrease by ten percent in 2010 to 2,227 tonnes from 2,446 tonnes in 2009.

• There is no change in snow crab allocations in Divisions 2H and 2J North for 2010.
• Area 2J South allocations to the inshore and offshore fleets will be reduced by ten percent.

Division 3K
The snow crab quota allocation in Division 3K will decrease by twelve percent in 2010 to 14,440 tonnes from 16,475 tonnes in 2009.

• Area 3K Offshore allocations will be decreased by 13.6 percent.
• Area 3A allocations will not change.
• Area 3B allocations will increase by four percent.
• Area 3C allocations will be decreased by five percent.
• Area 3BC allocations will decrease by seventeen percent.
• Area 3D allocations will be reduced by 13.3 percent.

Division 3LNO:
The overall quota allocation of snow crab in 3LNO will be increased by eleven percent, from 28,979 tonnes in 2009 to 32,284 tonnes in 2010. Areas allocations within the Division, both inside and outside Canada’s 200-mile limit, will be increased.

Outside 200 mile limit
Allocations of snow crab to all fleets in 3NO (Outside 200) will be increased by 25 percent, from 3,781 tonnes in 2009 to 4,727 tonnes in 2010.

Inside 200 mile limit
The overall quota allocation of snow crab in 3LNO (Inside 200) will be increased by eleven percent, from 25,198 tonnes in 2009 to 27,557 tonnes in 2010.

• Mid shore allocations will be increased by fifteen percent.
• Mid-Shore Extended allocations will be increased by fifteen percent.
• 3L Extended allocations will be increased by fifteen percent.
• Nearshore allocations will be increased by nine percent.
• Area 6A allocations will be increased by nineteen percent.
• Area 6B allocations will be increased by three percent.
• Areas 5A, 6C, 8A, 8B, 8Bx, and 9A allocations will not change in 2010.

Subdivision 3Ps
The quota allocation for snow crab in Division 3Ps will be increased from 5,280 tonnes in 2009 to 6,205 tonnes in 2010, a difference of 18 percent.

• Area 10A allocations will be increased by thirteen percent.
• Area 10BCD, and 10X allocations will be increased by fourteen percent.
• Area 11S allocations will increase by ten percent.
• Area 11Sx allocations will increase by thirty percent.
• A small exploratory fishery in 11E and 11W will continue on a similar basis as 2009.

Division 4R and Subdivision 3Pn
The allocations for Area 4R3Pn remain unchanged for 2010.

Links to other information

The Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Science Advisory Reports on stock status http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/index-eng.htm

http://www.nfl.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/e0012077
http://www.nfl.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/e0012077