État des stocks de pétoncle d'Islande (Chlamys islandica) dans la zone transfrontalière franco-canadienne (boîte à pétoncles) du banc de Saint-Pierre (sous-division 3Ps de l’OPANO) en 2023

Abstract

This research document summarizes the results from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) February 23, 2024, regional peer review meeting “Assessment of Iceland Scallop in the Canada France Transboundary Zone of St. Pierre Bank (NAFO subdivision 3Ps)”. The last assessment for this resource prior to the 2024 meeting took place at a regional peer review for Iceland Scallop in February 2018 (Coughlan et al. 2021). Directed fishing of Iceland Scallop on the St. Pierre Bank began in 1989 and peaked at 6,000 t in 1992. There was no directed fishing activity between 1997 and 2016, and fishing activity has been minimal since 2017. The total allowable catch has been 990 t in the trans-boundary zone shared by Canada and France, known as the CORE area, since 2018. Data collected during a Canadian resource assessment survey of the area in September 2023 estimated a minimum dredgeable biomass of 1,000 t, among the lowest in the survey time series. This represents a decrease of approximately 45% since 2017 and consists of only 8% of the average biomass observed in the early 1990s. The mean shell height was consistently higher in Canadian waters than in French waters, and the average meat count decreased slightly from 85 scallop/500 g in 2017 to 75 scallop/500 g in 2023. This remains near the survey time series high, indicating smaller-sized scallop meats. Natural mortality has sharply increased since the last survey in 2017, but remains far below the survey time series high. Biomass of predatory sea stars generally corresponds with natural mortality levels, and 2023 was the highest level in the survey time series since 2005.