GASPÉ – What everyone feared has been confirmed: shrimp quotas will be significantly reduced for the upcoming season.
This was the outcome at the meeting of the Shrimp Advisory Committee in Quebec City to discuss scientific surveys and the various scenarios presented by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
As suggested, the worst case scenario would involve approximately 325 tonnes for the Sept-Îles area, 240 tonnes for Anticosti, and 50 tonnes for Esquiman as quotas for next year.
However, there is no assessment available for the Estuary due to a lack of scientific data.
Quebec fishermen should expect the worst, according to the Quebec Shrimp Fishermen’s Office.
“We more or less confirmed the figures we previously had. There are no figures for the Estuary zone. With the decline in other zones, the Estuary will become the most important zone for Quebec fishermen even if historically, it’s the smallest fishing zone. Depending on the minister’s decision, we risk ending up with a quota for Quebec fishermen including First Nations of between 0 and 1,300 tonnes. When we think that there are fishermen who had quotas of 500 or 600 tonnes in 2015, that shows you the scale of the decline or the catastrophe,” states the director of the office, Patrice Element.
“1200 tonnes is not enough to support a fleet of 35 or 40 shrimp boats. We are talking about a handful of fishermen who will be able to go fishing, if it is possible to distribute them among the fishermen. Will a processing plant want to open? When we talk about 1000 tonnes, that’s two million pounds. Last year, which was not a good year, the three processors produced 15 million pounds. If we go back 10 years, each of the Quebec plants processed 13-14-15 million pounds,” explains Mr. Element.
“The question arises: will fishermen be able to go fishing? Will processors be able to open their plants? That’s the question,” the director adds.
The warming of the water, the drop in oxygen levels and especially the rising presence of redfish explain the decrease in shrimp.
“There’s not much we can do with the water temperature or the drop in oxygen. But we can have control over the redfish. We need to start catching this fish as soon as possible,” Mr. Element strongly suggests.
The committee focused on the shrimp situation, but many of the attendees were preoccupied with the redfish fishery.
Given current findings, it is unlikely to see a recovery of shrimp stocks in the coming years.
“In the medium term, if there are fewer redfish, perhaps the shrimp biomass will recover. These small animals are very resilient, and perhaps the shrimp can recover. The redfish will be there next year. Even if we start fishing for them, the water will stay warm and the oxygen will stay low. No, there is no short-term recovery,” Mr. Element concurs.
Faced with these facts, support will be needed for the shrimp industry and also the communities that will be affected in Eastern Canada.
With a quota of 1000 tonnes, would a moratorium be appropriate?
“No one in the industry, and not many people in the federal government, want to consider a moratorium because we are falling into administrative complexities, and we will not be fishing for a long period. It’s difficult to answer this question honestly, but with a quota of 500 tonnes or 1000 tonnes, there are several people who will ask themselves the question you are asking,” says Mr. Element in response to the question.
The stakeholders hope they will receive a quick answer from the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Diane Lebouthillier, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands.
“I was able to read the most recent scientific assessment of the state of shrimp stocks in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, which was presented at the advisory committee meeting in Quebec. The conclusions are clear and are a concern. Three of the four shrimp stocks in the region are currently in the critical zone, and only 38% of the total quota has been fished this year,” writes Ms. Lebouthillier.
She mentions that the findings do not come as a surprise but they will allow for the next steps to be taken.
“Over the coming weeks, DFO will finalize the analysis of all scientific data, industry comments, and the economic impacts of the various scenarios before submitting a recommendation to my desk by December,” says the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
Ms. Lebouthillier has stated that the game plan will be submitted no later than after the holidays in January, and her department will maintain contact with the industry, as well as with all levels of government while awaiting its decision.