Stock status update for scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) in scallop fishing area 29 west of longitude 65°30'

Abstract

Harvesting Scallop in SFA 29 West includes commercial and Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) harvesting. Advice on the status of Scallops in Scallop Fishing Area (SFA) 29 west of longitude 65º30’ (herein referred to as SFA 29 West) is requested annually by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritimes Resource and Aboriginal Fisheries Branch to estimate risk of different harvest scenarios and to help determine a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the commercial component of the fishery. The last full assessment of SFA 29 West was conducted in 2015 (DFO 2015, Sameoto et al. 2015); updates have been conducted since. The last update was in March 2022 (DFO 2022). The objectives of this Science Response are to update the status of the SFA 29 West Scallop stocks in 2022, evaluate the consequence of various potential harvest levels for the 2023 fisheries, and evaluate the bycatch of non-target species from available information from the 2022 fishery. This Science Response Report results from the regional peer review of March 22, 2023, on the Update of Stock Status for Scallop in Scallop Fishing Area 29 West of 65º30’.