Identification of a Limit Reference Point for Iceland Scallop in Area 16E

Abstract

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) conducts a review and assessment of scallop stocks in Quebec coastal waters every three years. The most recent review was held on March 8–9, 2023, at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute (MLI) in Mont-Joli, Quebec. As part of this review and the development of a precautionary approach for Iceland scallop in Area 16E on Quebec’s North Shore, a Bayesian state-space surplus production model was fit to commercial landings and biomass index data from research surveys on the stock. This document describes the method used to fit the Bayesian state-space surplus production model to biomass data for Iceland scallops in Area 16E. The results indicate that the model can be used to accurately estimate Iceland scallop biomass, assess stock status and determine a limit reference point (LRP) for this stock. The results are consistent with previous stock assessments and indicate that the stock in this area has been declining for a number of years, with stock biomass reaching its lowest recorded level in 2022 since fishing data first became available in 1987. In 2022, the LRP was set at 40% of the theoretical biomass at maximum sustainable yield (BMSY), or 182.8 tonnes (t). The stock has been in the critical zone of the precautionary approach since 2008.