Stock status update of Georges Bank 'a' scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) for the 2022 fishing season

Abstract

Advice on the status of the Georges Bank Scallop stock is requested annually by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Resource Management to help determine an annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC, meat weight) in support of the fishery. The purpose of this report is to update the status of Georges Bank Scallop with data from the 2021 Scallop survey and fishery (January 1 to December 31) to provide science advice for the management of the 2022 fishery. This Stock Status Update uses the assessment framework established in 2009 (Jonsen et al. 2009) and accepted during the peer-reviewed Regional Advisory Process of 2013 (DFO 2013, Hubley et al. 2014). Updates were conducted using this framework from 2014–2020 (DFO 2020 and references therein). In 2020, the DFO Science Offshore Scallop Survey was cancelled due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This update for the Scallop fishery on Georges Bank pertains to zone ‘a’. Georges Bank zone ‘b’ has separate management measures. Some elements of the fishery in zone ‘b’ are also presented for continuity. This Science Response reports results from the Regional Science Response Process of April 19, 2022, on the Stock Status Update of Offshore Scallop: Browns Bank North and Georges Bank ‘a’.