2022 stock status update of eastern Scotian Shelf northern shrimp (SFAs 13-15)

Abstract

Advice on the status of the Eastern Scotian Shelf (ESS) Northern Shrimp stock is requested annually by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Resource Management to help determine a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) that is consistent with its management plan (DFO 2011). The science advice is required because of rapid changes in abundance, variable recruitment to the population and fishery, and changes in the size of Northern Shrimp available for harvest. This stock is also near the southern limit of the species’ distribution where it is thought to be more vulnerable to significant and rapid declines, as observed in the adjacent Gulf of Maine (GoM) stock (ASMFC 2018). The current report provides information and advice for management of the 2023 fishery. This Science Response Report results from the regional peer review on December 08, 2022, entitled Stock Status Update of Shrimp on the Eastern Scotian Shelf.