Download
Download Presentation
Loading in 2 Seconds...
The story of the Southern Gulf of St.-Lawrence snow crab fishery. Prepared by EXMAR inc Fisheries Management Consultant Shippagan, N.B. Presented by L’Association des crabiers acadiens Les Crabiers du nord-est . The fishing fleet’s historical profile.
Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author.
While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server.
Prepared by EXMAR inc
Fisheries Management Consultant
Shippagan, N.B.
Phases of notable abundance increases are followed by periods of significant stock decline
The main characteristic of thesnow crab stock
They are former groundfish fishers.
They started this new fishery in the early 60’s following the first collapse of the cod and redfish stocks in the Southern Gulf of St.-Lawrence
The vast majority of the 130original family operated fishing enterprisesare still active in the Area 12 snow crab fishery today
In 1978, DFO stopped issuing new snow crab licenses in their fishing territoryknown as Area 12
At the same time, the DFO proceeded to cut the edges of their fishing territory so that 6 new smaller Fishing Areas could be established along the coasts of Quebec, Cap Breton, and, later, Prince-Edward-Island.
Area 13: 49 licenses
Area 14: 21 licenses
Area 15: 8 licenses
Area 16: 38 licenses
Area 17: 22 licenses
Total: 138 licenses
Areas 25 and 26: 30 licenses
From 1979 onward, the crab industry will boom for a short while.
The Japanese buyers are very active alongside a modern fleet of fishing vesselsand processing plants.
Between 1978 and 1982, catches increased rapidly from 10 500 mt to 31 500 mt
The fishers’ assessment was eventually proven right by DFO’s own scientists in 1992:
“The increase in landings from 1978 (10 462tm)to 1982 (31 582 tm) can be ascribed to this expansion and to a more efficient harvestingof the available resource rather than an increase of the stock biomass.”
Technical Report No. 1827F, CAFSAC,1992
The crab fleet supported innovative stock assessment/protection activities as well as enhanced monitoring of their fishery
Between 1994 and 2002, these local entrepreneurs invested over 10 millions $ in support of these measures
For its part, DFO agreed to :
Negotiations were highly structured
No fewer than 6 different sharing formulas tabled by DFO
The following two examples reveal the extent of the snow crab sharing process implemented within the Area 12 fishery in 1990.
Both cases presented hereare those of fishers who are still activein the Area 12 crab fishery today.
“Following the success of IQs under the 1991-92 management plan, a five-year IQ plan was established with management measures similar to those of last yaer. The move to a five-year plan is supported by industry.
The industry should be acknowledged for its commitment to preserving this important resource and promoting effective management of the fishery.”
-News release dated April 8, 1993-
The crab fleet funds DFO’s scientific research program
The crab fleet sets up a fund for cod fishers under moratorium
DFO assigns new fishing sub zones in Area 12
Area 12 A: 10 licenses
Area 12 B: 8 licenses
Area 12 C: 5 licenses
Area 12 D: 531 licenses
Total 554 licenses
The first crab lottery draw :
“Conservation remains our principal goal.We will ensure that the resource and the viability of the existing fleets are not threatened by a permanent shift in fishing effortfrom one fishery to another.
…In the past, such permits were allowedto become a permanent part of the fisheryto which they applied.
This is not the case in this instance.
These seasonal temporary permitswill expire at the end of 1995 and will not be renewed in future years.”
- News release April 13, 1995 -
Temporary permits are reissued…
The crab and shrimp fleets fear forthe future of their fishery
Area 12 snow crab agreement of 1997
Gulf of St.-Lawrence shrimp agreementof 1998
other fishers be given temporary access to their fisheries above a preset economic/ quota threshold.
Financial contributions be given to DFO to fund conservation and protection as well as management activities .
Incorporate fishers’ know-how in the management of their respective fisheries
Comply with the 1990 permanent sharing agreements of individual quotas
The snow crab fishing grounds are located outside the traditional Micmac and Malecite territories
Snow crab is not a specie that was fished by the First Nations at the time the treaties were signed
Existing commercial crab licenses (along with the vessels) are acquired on a voluntary basis
The First Nations fish their allocations themselves
No new “permanent” license or allocation of crab or shrimp has been granted since 1990
They propose that new temporary access be granted to other fishers above a preset economic or quota threshold
They propose financial contributions from the crab and the shrimp fleets towards the funding of their fisheries’ scientific, conservation, protection as well as management activities .
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
honors the shrimp fleet’s proposal
rejects the snow crab fleet’s proposal
Numerous non crabbers are given a permanent share of the Area 12 snow crab fishery
Fishing over-capacity is install in the absence of any long term sustainability assessment
and despite risky fluctuations in stock abundance.
No permanent Gulf shrimp licenses are issued even though continuous landings increases were registered annually;
from 13 000 tm in 1992 and 28 000 tm in 2003
Each crabber lost 26.5% of his individual share
(without compensation)
10,35% to the First Nations
12,64% to the lobster and the ground fish fleets
3,37% to the inshore fishers from Nova Scotia (Area 18)
No permanent lost of individual quota is sustained by any shrimp vessel; DFO honors all Individual shares
The Minister honors a private/public partnership offer from the shrimp fleet worth $ 140, 000 annually
The Department adds 33 new groups of “players” on the Area 12 snow crab advisory committee
DFO protects the shrimpers’ influence on the management of their fishery
Not even one group of new fishers gain access to the Gulf of St.- Lawrence shrimp advisory committee
Before 2003:
The 8 crabbers’ associations held 100% of the harvesting sector’s representation on the various DFO forums dedicated to the Area 12 crab stock and fishery.
- 13 new groups of lobster fishers had been given 32% of the crab sector’s representation
- 12 First Nations had been given 29% of harvesting sector’s representation
- 8 new groups of cod fishers had been given a further 20% of the sector’s representation
The influence of the 8 crabbers’ associations on the management of their fishery and of the Area 12 stock had thus been reduced from 100% to 20%.
Conditions and alliances that had been essential to the construct of this sustainable fishery were shattered:
The 1990 restrictions to the fleet’s capacity were eliminated
The co-management process with DFO was broken
The cohesion between fishers’ organizations was also broken
The credibility of the individual quota system was undermined by the expansionof the fleet
and by the reduction of each crabber’s historical share of the fishery
Agree to the restrictions offixed individual quotas
You will help the resource and you will reap the economic benefitsdown the road!
Thank you for your help, Buddy!
It is time for us to give your fishery to others!
Divide and conquer…
Since 2003, the fishers’ perception is that they have generally been ignored, excluded or threatenby DFO officials
