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NAFO Division 4R Collaborative Post-Season Snow Crab Pot Survey 2014

Description

Exploitable biomass (abundance) index—in thousands of tonnes—for Division 4R inshore based on the collaborative post-season trap survey.
Credit: DFO, Darrell Mullowney

Canada is the world’s largest producer of Snow Crab, accounting for about two-thirds of the global supply. To adequately assess the status of Snow Crab stocks and recruitment prospects—the number of crabs that will enter the fishery (exploitable biomass) in a given year—a variety of information, including fishery-independent data, is required. As part of a province-wide survey that began in 2003, this project will implement a scientifically sound, post-season survey of snow crab management areas in NAFO Division 4R, which includes bays and nearshore areas inside of eight nautical miles from the headlands along the west coast of Newfoundland. Compared to all other areas of the province, data on Snow Crab in Division 4R is limited, making this survey especially important for assessing the resource in this area.

Catch rate Footnote 1 data for each management area will be used to develop biomass and recruitment indices for use in the annual resource assessment. This survey represents the only source of fishery-independent data for inshore areas. In offshore areas, trends in biomass and recruitment are compared to those collected during the DFO summer survey. The research will increase knowledge of Snow Crab resources in Division 4R, helping to support the sustainable management of this valuable fishery and resource.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2003 - Present

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Newfoundland, Labrador Shelves

Principal Investigator(s)

Darrell Mullowney
Fisheries and Oceans Canada

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