Fisheries News February March 1983
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F shees Pêches I I° and Oceans et Oceans RARY HERIES AND OCEANS UOTHÈQUE !CUES ET OCÉANS Vol. 3, No. 2 February/March 1983 (ISSN 0714-97941 Scotia-Fundy Region 1983 Atlantic Groundfish Management Plan Canadian East Coasi fishermen are through a process of consultation with nally established to promote a more entitled to catch 38,200 tonnes more fishermen's organizations, fish pro- orderly and equitable approach to groundfish this year than in 1982, ac- cessors and the governments of the harvesting by the offshore trawler cording to the 1983 Atlantic Ground- five eastern provinces. fleet. fish Management Plan announced in One other new addition to the mid-January by Fisheries and Oceans Implications for the Scotia-Fundy Groundfish Plan is a strategy to over- Minister Pierre De Bané. Region come the problem of seasonality in Under the plan, Canada will take In 1982, total fish and shellfish land- smaller groundfish processing plants. 997,355 tonnes or about 76% of the 1.3 ings for the Scotia-Fundy Region rep- More than 80% of groundfish is landed million-tonne total Atlantic groundfish resented some 484,884 tonnes valued between April and October, which allocation inside and outside the 200- at $255,641,000. Of this, groundfish creates serious gluts and shortages in mile fishing zone. accounted for approximately 42% of supply for these plants, most of which Since implementing the zone in the Landed Value and 5 5 °/o of the do not own fishing vessels. An alloca- 1977, the Total Allowable Catch for Landed Volume. Close to 4,000 ves- tion of 27.000 tonnes of varied species Atlantic groundfish has increased over sels are involved in the groundfish has been reserved for a program to three times from some 425,000 tonnes fishery in this Region alone, and thou- help extend the operating season of to the over 1.3 million tonnes for 1983. sands of people derive their employ- these "resource short" plants, many of However, biologists believe that with ment from the industry. which are located in northeastern the exception of No rt hern Cod off As in 1982, Sector Management of Newfoundland. Newfoundland, the rate of stock re- the groundfish fishery for vessels The table of allocations can be covery in most other groundfish spe- under 65' will enable the Regional Di- found on page 2. cies has already leveled off and will rector General to make local man- increase little more. agement decisions independently of Groundfish species represent ap- the other Regions. The Scotia-Fundy proximately two-thirds of the volume Region administers Sector Three of all fish landed on the Atlantic coast, which is comprised of NAFO Areas with over 35,000 fishermen licensed to 4 VVyX and 5. fish them. Unlike 1982, the detailed company We invite you to respond to any of the Groundfish Management Plans quotas initiated last year have not information contained in "Fisheries News .' or make suggestions of your own regard- have been implemented annually been allocated in 1983. Instead, those ing content. since 1977 to conserve and restore companies involved in the offshore Pease address all correspondence to: fish stocks, and to fairly allocate the trawling industry have agreed upon The EditorFisheries News resource. According to scientific ad- quotas for the first three months of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans vice provided by biologists (see arti- year. Discussions will be held to re- Communications Division. P.O. Box 550 cle: "Biological Inputs" elsewhere in view the situation at a later date. Indi- Halifax , N.S. B3J 257 this issue), the plans are developed vidual company quotas were origi- I Aka 5oaentada loasntaesd . 1r • • Bulk En nombre trurd troisieme class classe 5056 Halrfa> N S Canae Species Total Vessels less than Vessels 65'-100' Vessels more temperature of the fish will have a and Canadian 65' (19.8 m) 19.8 m-30.5 m than 100' marked effect on its potential keeping Sub-areas Quota' Fixed Mobile Fixed Mobil (30.5 m) time. COD When vessels are taking ice to sea, 4Vn (j-a) 9,200 800a 800b 100 100 7,400 only fresh clean ice should be taken 4Vn (m-d) 13,900 11,000° 1,900d 100 100 800 on board at the beginning of each 4VsW 61,000 12,500e 7,400d 1,250 850 39,000 voyage. Ice left from the previous 4X 30,000 20,250d 6,000d 200 400 3,150 voyage should be discarded. 5Y 1,500 700 700 - - 100 The best bulk stowage is the shal- 5Z 22,500 7,400 3,000 425 425 11,250 lowest, with the fish well mixed with HADDOCK finely divided ice. Any large lumps of 4VW 19,000 1,150 2,450' - 400 15,000 ice can cause damage to fish. It is not 4X 32,000 8,850 15,000 f 100 1,000 7,050 sufficiently recognized that fish at the 5 10,000 800 1,700` 100 100 7,300 bottom of a deep pile can lose consid- REDFISH erable weight. It has been observed, 4VWX 27,000 1,100 - 2,000 21,500 for instance, that haddock at the bot- tom of a hold one metre (three feet) YELLOWTAIL deep can lose as much as 15 per cent 5 3,000 3,000 of its initial gutted weight after about two weeks' storage. FLOUNDER Shelf stowage oftens involves the 4VWX 13,750 750 4,450 - 200 8,350 laying out of single layers of fish side by side and head to tail, belly down on POLLOCK a bed of ice, but with no ice among or 4VWX, 59 40,000 10,600 7,750 - 250 22,400 on top of the fish. Single fish laid out in this manner are only cooled from SILVER HAKE one side, and therefore cool down less 4VWX 1,000 - - - - 900 rapidly than fish well mixed with ice. (plus 100t re- The backs and heads of the fish can serve for remain quite warm throughout the "resource storage period, and micro-organisms short" plants) orginating in the gills can spread rap- idly along the backbone. It has been 'Quantities in tonnes found that fish when shelf stowed in this way, is inferior in quality when a When 700 t of quota has been caught before the second week of April, fishery compared with fish which has been will revert to a 1500 kg/trip limit. shallow bulk stowed at the same time. b Fishery will close at 95% of quota and revert to 1500 kg/trip limit. ` Fishery will close at 80% of quota and revert to 1500 kg/trip limit. Where fish is shelf stowed, ice d Fishery will close at 90% of quota and revert to 1500 kg/trip limit. should always be added, around and e Fishery will close at 85% of quota and revert to 1500 kg/trip limit. on top of each layer. f Under special haddock licences effective January 1. A sufficient quantity of ice is neces- sary, not only to cool the fish, but to maintain it in a cool condition. If, at Fish Quality Tips the end of a voyage, fish are no longer completely surrounded by ice, then an insufficient quantity has been used. Icing the Catch length of time the fish remains at the It is to be emphasized that the ap- It is well known that temperature is higher temperature. It is, therefore, propriate quantity of ice required by the single most important factor in most important to chill the fish quickly each boat can only be determined by maintaining fish quality. It has been to the temperature of melting ice, trial and error. The best method of de- shown that cod spoils about five and soon after capture, and maintain it in a termining this is to measure the half times as fast at 100C (500F), and chilled condition until it reaches the temperature of the fish from time to about two and a half times as fast at consumer. In some areas, refrigerated time. 4.4° C(40° F), as it does at 0° C(32° F). sea water or refrigerated brine is used Some small inshore vessels do not As a result, cod that would remain ed- for chilling and storing the fish. Here use ice or any other form of preserva- ible for about 14 days stored at 0°C again, the chilling should be rapid and tion, and consequently there is often would be edible for only six days if the system should be capable of main- considerable and unnecessary loss of stored at 4.4° C, and for less than three taining the fish at -1 ° C(30° F). fish quality. days if stored at 10° C. Fish should not be exposed to di- Packing fish into containers with ice It is also known that the effects of rect sunlight or to the drying effect of at sea offers a number of advantages increasing temperature are cumula- winds, or any other harmful effects of for certain fisheries. When properly tive; that is, some potential keeping the elements, but should be carefully iced the fish can remain undisturbed time is lost each time the temperature cleaned, washed and cooled down to in the containers until they reach the of the fish is allowed to rise. The ex- the temperature of melting ice, 0° C, as processor. Unloading the catch can tent of this loss depends both on the quickly as possible. Any careless become a simple operation, and more degree of temperature rise and the treatment or delay in reducing the ice can be added to the containers at 2 the dockside without disturbing the another overfilling with ice or fish Boxes used, should be equipped with fish.