Terms of Reference

Assessment of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Areas 12, 12E 12F and 19) in 2022 and advice for the 2023 fishery

Regional Peer Review - Gulf Region

January 25-26, 2023
Virtual Meeting

Chairperson: Marc Ouellette

Context

In support of DFO Fisheries and Harbour Management’s request for advice, the Gulf Region Science Branch undertakes annual peer reviews of the stock status of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) population in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL).

Objectives

Develop peer-reviewed science advice for the management of the snow crab fishery in the sGSL biological unit for the 2023 fishing season. The agenda will contain the following items:

1. Commercial fishery statistics for the 2022 fishing season.
2. Updated population statistics from the 2022 post-fishery snow crab trawl survey, in particular:
• commercial biomass estimates,
• size-frequency distributions,
• recruitment indices,
• spawning stock indices,
• mortality rates for commercial crab, and
• a risk analysis of different catch options for the 2023 fishing season.
3. Environmental conditions in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence with discussion of their expected influence on snow crab habitat and distribution.

Expected Publications

• Research Document
• Science Advisory Report

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Ecosystems and Oceans Science, and Fisheries and Harbour Management)
• Stakeholders
• Indigenous groups
• External experts