Assessment of Arctic Surfclam stocks in Quebec coastal waters in 2023

Abstract

Mean annual Arctic surfclam landings in Quebec totalled 683 t from 2021 to 2023, a 17% increase compared with the 2018-2020 period. The North Shore accounted for 99% of landings and the Magdalen Islands for 1%. The annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the 2021 to 2023 period averaged over 80% in areas 3A and 3B. There was no fishing in areas 1A in 2022 and 2023. There was no fishing in area 1B since 2017 and areas 4C and 5A remain unexploited. The catch per unit of effort (CPUE) averages for the 2021 to 2023 period are above the time series medians (1993-2022) for areas 3A and 4A, but below the series medians for areas 1A, 2, 3B, 4B and 5B. The 2021-2023 landed surfclam size averages are above the time series medians (1993- 2022) for areas 1A, 2, 3B, 4A, 4B and 5B, but below the series medians for area 3A. The zonal exploitation rate in each area based on dredged area is below the recommended rate of 3% in all fishing areas. According to the existing decision rules, no area meets all the conditions for a quota increase, so the status quo is suggested. The fishing effort in one area should be distributed both within and among beds to limit the possibility of local overexploitation.