While prices likely won’t meet the high expectations set by 2021 and early 2022, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) delivered a cautiously optimistic outlook on the snow crab stocks in Newfoundland and Labrador for the coming season.
According to Julia Pantin, the biologist in charge of this year’s snow crab technical briefing, the stocks off Newfoundland (with the exception of 2HJ off Labrador) will continue to stay steady into 2023.
“The overall exploitable biomass increased from historic lows in 2016–18 to near the long-term average in the past two years,” said Pantin.
The DFO trawl survey did not take place in 2022, and trap surveys were used to assess the stock status over the previous year. While the exploitable biomass, which is a count of male crabs with a carapace size of over 95 millimetres, has continued to increase in 2022, data shows the growing trend to be less steep than previous assessments.
With the total allowable catch (TAC) having increased by 32 per cent in 2022, landings were up to just under 50,000 tonnes in the previous year. Despite this uptick in landings, the exploitation rate, or the percentage of crab removed from the exploitable population, remained “moderate to low” in most assessment divisions except 2HJ.
“Some areas have had quite high exploitation in the past and in recent years in some areas, so we’re happy to see a decreasing trend — a lowering of some of these exploitation rates in the various assessment divisions,” said Pantin.
All stocks except 2HJ off Labrador, which is projected to be in the cautious zone, are projected to be in the healthy zone according to the precautionary approach framework. DFO, however, has noted that factors such as warming waters could make stock growth limited in the short term. The stock, they say, could be nearing a peak.
“We are warning, I guess, or just putting in people’s mind that there may be a limit to the growth in the short-term, but we are seeing positive results for 2022,” said Pantin.
2022 Stock Status
2HJ: While a slight uptick in both exploitable biomass and recruitment, or young crabs available to the fishery for the first time, was shown in 2022, indices of both remain very low. Some key indicators could not be updated in the assessment, but high fishing pressure, low biomass and the smaller-than-average size of mature males remain a concern.
3K: In accordance with a four-year growing trend, the exploitable biomass has increased again in 2022, remaining at a similar level as in 2021. While recruitment has increased since a low in 2018, surveys show that the number of recruits has decreased in 2022.
3L Inshore: The trap survey-based exploitable biomass index has increased over the last three to four years, with recruitment remaining steady from the previous four surveys.
3LNO (Offshore): Similar to 3K, the exploitable biomass in 3LNO has increased in a similar three-to-four-year trend. Recruitment similarly has slightly declined after a large uptick that continued from 2019–2021.
3PS: The exploitable biomass index has continued to increase in 2022, while recruitment has remained on the same steady four-year course.
4R3Pn: The exploitable biomass has increased again in 2022, near time-series high levels. Recruitment indices, however, indicate a decline from 2021.
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) was pleased with the results of the tech briefing and the hand it had to play in it. Without any trawl surveys taking place in 2022, the data was derived from trap surveys. The trap surveys were done during the industry post-season crab survey, a collaborative survey DFO does in conjunction with the FFAW.
“The post-season snow crab survey, which is carried out by harvesters, made a real difference for our fleet,” says Port de Grave crab harvester and FFAW-Unifor Executive Board member, Nelson Bussey.
“For two years in a row now, DFO would not have had the information needed for the stock assessment if it weren’t for harvesters and our Union taking the initiative and building an important data series. This means we could fill the gaps left by DFO Science when their surveys are incomplete or just not done.”
With the FFAW and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) recently vowing to cooperate in making this year’s crab season work in everyone’s best interest, it remains to be seen how the stakeholders handle another year of healthy crab stocks.
Last year, with another very healthy year for the snow crab stocks, N.L. harvesters were anticipating record or near-record prices for snow crab. But things did not go as planned.
In 2022, the N.L. Price Setting Panel sided with the ASP offer of $7.60/pound, a rollover of the 2021 price. The FFAW-Unifor had requested a price of $9.05/pound.
However, on May 12, the Panel received an application from the ASP requesting that it reconsider its decision dated April 1, 2022, concerning the price and conditions of sale for snow crab in 2022. After review, the Panel said it believed there was reason to expect that the market price will continue to fall and reach a level in the $9–$10/pound U.S. range and accepted the final offer of the ASP of $6.15/pound.
While many expectations have been tempered by the disappointing year that just was, the new President of the FFAW, Greg Pretty, has committed the union to try to work with ASP to make sure all parties gain from the plentiful stocks N.L. has in 2023.
“The snow crab resource in Newfoundland and Labrador is healthy and abundant,” said Pretty. “We’re going to be working extremely hard to make sure the 2023 snow crab fishery is a success for fish harvesters and plant workers in our province.”
