Snow Crab Fishing in Areas 2J, 3KLNO, 3Ps, 4R3Pn - Newfoundland and Labrador

Species and Area

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

Dates of season
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery season dates for 2012, by NAFO Division in the first column and Crab Fishing Area and season date in the second column.
AREA 2012 Season Dates
2J 2J North: June 15 – August 30
2J South: May 7 – July 15
3K 3A: April 3- June 30
3C, 3BC: April 16 – June 15
3B, 3D: April 3 – June 15
4: April 3 – June 15
3LNO April 3 – July 31
3Ps April 3 – June 15
10A: April 3 – July 15
11: April 3 – June 30
4R3Pn April 3 – June 30
12G: April 11 – May 10

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)

The total allowable catch for 2012 is 52,502 tonnes, a decrease of five percent from 2011. This includes quota reductions of eleven percent in Division 2J, twenty two percent in Division 3K, and nine percent in Subdivision 3Ps. There will be a slight increase for Divisions 3LNO and 4R of approximately 2% and 3% respectively.

Snow Crab Quotas 2012
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery quotas by NAFO Division in the first column and the 2012 quota in the second column. The last row indicates the total quota.
AREA 2012 Quota (t)
2J 1,952
3K 9,438
3LNO 33,908
3Ps 6,137
4R3Pn 1,067
Total Quota 52,502

2012 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 2J
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery quotas for NAFO Division 2J by fishing area in the first column, and the inshore fleet in the second column, the supplementary fleet in the third column, the fulltime fleet in the fourth column, the communal allocation in the fifth column and total quota for the five fleets in the sixth column. The last row indicates the total quota for each fleet and the total for NAFO Division 2J.
Description Inshore Supplementary Fulltime Communal Total
2J North of 54° 40’ N       367 367
2J Offshore   1,080 215   1,295
2J Inshore 290       290
Total 290 1,080 215 367 1,952

2012 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 3K
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery quotas for NAFO Division 3K by fishing area in the first column, and the area description in the second column, the inshore fleet in the third column, the supplementary fleet in the fourth column, the fulltime fleet in the fifth column and totals for each fleet in the sixth column. The last row indicates the total quota for each fleet and the total for NAFO Division 3K.
Area Description Inshore Supplementary Fulltime Total
3A Canada Bay 330     330
3B White Bay 460     460
3C Green Bay 560     560
3D Fogo/Twillingate 1,100     1,100
3BC Inshore 3K 196     196
4 Nearshore 3K 27     27
4 Offshore 3K   5,185 1,580 6,765
Total 2,673 5,185 1,580 9,438

2012 QUOTAS (t) DIVISION 3LNO Inside 200 Miles
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery quotas for NAFO Divisions 3LNO inside 200 miles. by fishing area in the first column, and the area description in the second column, the inshore fleet in the third column, the small supplementary fleet in the fourth column, the large supplementary fleet in the fifth column, the fulltime fleet in the sixth column and the totals for each fleet in the seventh column. The last row indicates the total quota for each fleet and the total for NAFO Division 3LNO inside 200 miles.
Area Description Inshore Small Supplementary Large Supplementary Fulltime Total
5A Bonavista Bay 1,310       1,310
6A Trinity Bay 1,230       1,230
6B Conception Bay 1,400       1,400
6C Eastern Avalon (inside 25) 1,599       1,599
8A Southern Shore (inside 25) 1,197       1,197
9A St. Mary’s Bay 682       682
NS Near Shore   5,975     5,975
MS Mid Shore   3,795 761 815 5,371
8B Southern Avalon (offshore)   650     650
8Bx Southern Avalon   2,775     2,775
MS EX Mid-shore extended     1,920 1,860 3,780
3L EX Between 170 and 200 miles     1,652 1,170 2,822
Total 7,418 13,195 4,333 3,845 28,791

2012 Quotas Outside 200 Miles
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery quotas for NAFO Divisions 3LNO by fishing fleet in the first column, and the total for each fleet in the second column. The last row indicates the total quota for the all fleets outside 200 miles.
FLEET Total
3L Fulltime 1,402
3L Supplementary (> 40 grt) 2,890
Fixed gear vessels > 65’ 825
TOTAL 5,117

2012 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 3Ps
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery quotas for NAFO sub-Division 3Ps by fishing area in the first column, and the area description in the second column, the inshore fleet in the third column, the supplementary fleet in the fourth column and the total quota for each fleet in the fifth column. The last row indicates the total quota for each fleet and the total for NAFO sub-Division 3Ps.
AREA Description Inshore Supplementary Total
10A Placentia Bay north of 46o30’N 2,212   2,212
10BCD CFA 10 from 46o30’N to 45o35’N   3,000 3,000
10X CFA 10 south of 45o35’N   500 500
11S CFA 11 south of 46o30’N (> 35’ fleet) 55 230 285
11SX   140   140
Total 2,407 3,730 6,137

2012 QUOTAS (t) – DIVISION 4R3Pn
Description The following is a table identifying the Snow Crab fishery quotas for NAFO Division 4R3Pn by fishing area in the first column, and the area description in the second column, the inshore fleet in the third column, the commercial fleet in the fourth column and the totals for each area in the fifth column. The last row indicates the total quota for each fleet and the total for NAFO sub-Division 3Ps.
Area 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   23 23
12A Lapoile Bay 8   8
12B Cape Ray to Johnson’s Cove 18   18
12C Johnson’s Cove to Cape St. George 164   164
12D Cape St. George to Bear Head 76   76
12E Bear Head to Cape St. Gregory 56   56
12F Inner Bay of Islands 54   54
12G Cape St. Gregory to Broom Point 130   130
12H Broom Point to Table Point 56   56
  Total 562 505 1,067

Management Measures

This is the first year of a new evergreen multi-year Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP). The IFMP document is being finalized and will be available online.

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 2011 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.

There are concerns with ghost fishing of lost crab traps in the Newfoundland and Labrador Snow Crab fishery. The Marine institute, in co-operation with DFO and harvesters, has completed a study on an appropriate biodegradable twine to be used in the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery. Based on the results of the study, and the feedback received during the consultation process, the use of biodegradable twine in all crab traps in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region will be mandatory in 2013 in an effort to address ghost fishing of lost traps. This advanced notice will give harvesters ample opportunity to implement. Further discussions will take place at future consultations.

Area specific measures

Division 2J

  • Allocations to the Nunatsiavut Government in 2H and 2J north will be merged and reduced by fifteen percent in 2012.
  • The remaining snow crab allocations in Divisions 2J will decrease by ten percent in 2012.

Division 3K

The overall snow crab quota in Division 3K will decrease by twenty two percent in 2012 to 9,438 tonnes from 12,053 tonnes in 2011.

  • Area 3K Offshore quota will be decreased by twenty five percent.
  • Area 3A allocations will decrease by eight percent.
  • Areas 3B and 3BC allocations will remain unchanged.
  • Area 3C allocations will decrease by eighteen percent.
  • Area 3D allocations will be reduced by fifteen percent.

Division 3LNO:

The overall quota allocation of snow crab in 3LNO will be increased by two percent, from 33,222 tonnes in 2011 to 33,908 tonnes in 2012.

Outside 200 mile limit

Total allocations outside the 200 mile limit will be increased by eight percent from 4,727 tonnes in 2011 to 5,117 in 2012.

  • Allocations in divisions 3NO will increase by fifteen.

Inside 200 mile limit

The overall quota allocation of snow crab in 3LNO (Inside 200) will be increased by one percent, from 28,495 tonnes in 2011 to 28,791 tonnes in 2012.

  • Offshore allocations in all areas Inside 200, including Mid-shore, Mid-Shore Extended, Nearshore, 8B and 8BX will not change in 2012.
  • Inshore allocations in areas 5A and 6A will not change in 2012.
  • Area 6B allocations will be increased by six percent in 2012.
  • Areas 6C and 8A allocations will increase by one and thirteen percent respectively in 2012.
  • Area 9A allocations will be increased by nine percent in 2012.

Subdivision 3Ps

The quota allocation for snow crab in Division 3Ps will be decreased by nine percent from 6,727 tonnes in 2011 to 6,137, tonnes in 2012.

  • Areas 10BCD and 10X allocations will be decreased by fifteen percent.
  • Area 10A, 11SX, and 11S allocations will remain unchanged.
  • A small exploratory fishery in 11E and 11W will continue on a similar basis as 2011.

Division 4R and Subdivision 3Pn

The allocations for Area 4R3Pn will increase by three percent.

  • Area 12C allocations will be increased by eighteen percent in 2012.

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/publications/reports_rapports/Crab_Crabe_2012_eng.htm