DFO Atlantic Fisheries Stock Status Report 96/ 80 REPORT ON THE STATUS OF ATLANTIC SALMON STOCKS IN EASTERN CANADA IN 199 5 Atlantic Stock Assessment Secretariat Fisheries Research Branc h Department of Fisheries and Oceans 200 Kent Street, Stn 1256 Ottawa, Ontario K1A OE6 Canada June 1996 ORIGINAL COPY : PLEASE LEAVE THIS COPY IN THE FILE ROOM TO OBTAIN ISABELLERONDEAU PLEASE CONTACN ACTT AT 990-00293 (STN. 12S004) THANKS, CSAS . COPIE ORIGINALE : SVP LAISSER CETTE COPIE DANS LA SALLE D'ARCHIVES. POUR OBTENIR UNE COPIE CET L'ORIGINALE , SVP CONTACTER ISABELLE RO- K-DEAU AU 990-0293 (12S004) MERCI, CSAS 1 Report on the status of Atlantic salmo n stocks in eastern Canada in 1995 2 Table of Contents Glossary. ... ... ...... .. ... ... ... ........ .. ... ... ......... .. ........ ... .. ... .. ... ......... .. ........ ... .. .. ..... ......... ........ ... ..... ... ... .. ...... ... ... ... ... .... 3 1 .0 Introduction ........ ... ...... ... ........ ... .. .. .. ... ......... .......... ... .. .. .. ... ......... .. ... ..... ... .. ... ........ ... ...... .. ... ... ..... ... .... ... ... 5 2.0 Overview of Atlantic Salmon Stocks ... ........ ..... ...... ... .. .. ..... ........ .. .. ..... ... ... .......... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ........ ... 7 2 .1 . Definitions . ... ... ..... .. ... .. ... ... ....... ........ ..... ...... ... .. .. ..... ........ .. .. ... .. ... ... .......... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ........ ... 7 2 .2. Desc ription of Fisheries ...... ... ..... ... ... ... ..... .......... .. .. ... ... ... ... ..... .......... ... ......... ...... .. .. ........... ... ... ... ... 7 2 .3. Aquaculture Production in E astern Canada . ........ .. .. ...... ... ... .......... ..... ... .... .. .. ... ... .. ..... ........ ... ... ... .. 14 2 .4. Definition of Conse rvation and De rviation of Targets . ........ ... ...... ... .. ... ... ..... .. .. ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ..... .. 15 2 .5 Status of the Stocks - Returns and Spawning Escapements .. ... .. ... ...... ... ...... .. ... ..... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... .. 16 2 .6. Production of Atlantic Salmon in Recent Years ... .. .. ... ...... ... ..... ..... .... ... ........ ......... ... ........... ... ... ... .. 20 2 .7. Prospects.... ... ... ... .. ... ..... ... ... ....... ........ ... ... ..... ... ... .. .. ... ........ ... ........ .. ... .......... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... ... ... .. 26 2.8. Environmental Conditions ... ... .. ... ...... ... .. ........ ..... .. .. ... ...... ... .. ........ ..... ... ........ ......... ... ... ........ ... ... ... .. 28 2.9. Effects of Recent Changes in Management on Stock Status .. ... ... ........ ........ ... ..... ........ ... ... ... ...... ... .. 29 3 .0 Maritime Provinces Regional Summaries . ..... ... .. ... ... ... ..... ... ..... .. ........ ... ...... ... .. .. ... ........... ...... ... ...... ... ........ .. 30 3 .1 . Bay of Fundy Stocks (SFAs 22 & 23) .... ... ... .. ...... ... ............... ... ... ..... .. ..... ... .. .... .. ...... ... .... .. .. ...... ... 31 3.2. Atlantic Coast of Mainl and Nova Scotia (SFAs 20 & 21) ...... ... ... ...... .. .. ........ ..... .. ...... ... .... .. ........ ... 40 3.3 . Cape Breton Island Stocks (SFA 19 and part of SFA 18) ....... ... .. .. ... .. .. ............. ... ... ... .. ....... .. ......... 47 3.4. Northumberland Strait Nova Scotia Stocks (SFA 18) . ... ........ ... ... ... ... .. ... ..... ........ ... ... .. ........ ..... .... ... 57 3.5. Prince Edward Island Stocks (SFA 17).. ... .. ... ...... .. .. ... .......... ... .. .. ... ... ... ........ ... ..... ...... .. .. ... ... ... ... ... 63 3.6 Gulf New Brunswick Stocks (SFAs 15 & 16) ........ ..... ... ...... .. .. ... .......... ... ... ... ... ... ........ .. .. ...... ...... ... 67 4.0 Québec Regional Summaries .. ... ........ ... ... ........ .. ..... ... ..... ...... ... ..... ... .. .... ... ........ ... ...... ... ... .......... ... ... ... ...... ... 80 4.1 . Gaspé (Fishing Areas Q1-Q3) .. .. ... ..... ... ... ... ..... ... .. ..... ... .. ... ... .. ... ........ ..... ... ........ ... ...... ... ...... .. ... .... ... 81 4.2. North Shore of the St . Lawrence (Fishing Areas Q5-Q9) ....... ... .. .. ...... ... ............. ... ...... .. ...... ... ... ...... 90 4.3. Anticosti (Fishing Areas Q10) .. .. .. ........ ... ... ........ .. ..... ... ........ .. ... ........ ..... ... ........ ... ...... ........ .. ... .... ... 94 4.4. Ungava Bay (Fishing Area Q11) . .. ........ ..... ........ .. .. ..... ........ ... .. ........ ... ..... ........ ... ... .. ........ ... ...... .. 97 5.0 Newfoundland Regional Summaries .. ... .. .. ...... ... .. ... .......... ... .. .. ...... ... ........ ....... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... .......... ...... .. 98 5.1 . Labrador (SFAs 1, 2, and 14B). ... .. ........ ... ... ........ .. .. .. .. ........ ...... ... ... .. .. .. ... ........ .. ... ... ........ .. ...... .. 99 5.2. Northern Peninsula East and Eastern Newfoundland (SFAs 3-8) . .. ... ... .. ... .... .. .. ...... ..... ... ...... ........ .109 5.3 . South Newfoundland (SFAs 9-11) ....... ... .. .. ..... ... .. ... .......... ... ... ... ... .. .. ... ... .. ... ... ........ .... ... ... ...... ... .120 5.4. Southwest Newfoundland (SFAs 12-13) . .. .. ........ ...... ........ ... .. ... ........ .. ... ... .. ............. ... ....... ... ... ... .131 5.5. Northern Peninsula West (SFA14A) . ..... ... .. .. ...... ... ..... .......... ... ... ...... .. .. ... ... .. ... .. ........ ... ... ... ... ... ....141 • 0 Report on the status of Atlantic salmon stocks in eastern Canada in 1995 3 Glossary Terms and definitions related to salmon biolog y Fry: see parr (below) . Large salmon: For recreational fisheries, large salmon refers to any salmon with a fork length greater than or equal to 63 cm . This size group contains mostly MSW maiden salmon as well as previous spawner 1SW and MSW salmon . These fish are frequently referred to as salmon by anglers . In the accounting of the commercial fisheries catches, large salmon are any fish weighing 2 .7 kg whole weight and up. Maiden spawner : can refer to 1 SW and MSW salmon if they are returning to the rivers to spawn for the very first time in their life cycle. Other terms used to refer to these fish are virgin I SW or virgin MSW salmon . Multi-sea-winter (MSW) salmon: refers to salmon which have spent at least two full years at sea before returning to the river to spawn. In contrast to one-sea-winter salmon which mature after having spent one year in the ocean, MSW salmon take at least two years for maturing . MSW is reserved for describing the age of first maturation. One-sea-winter (1SW) salmon : refers to salmon which have spent one full year at sea before returning to the river to spawn . Because they pass one winter in the ocean between the spring in which they migrate to sea as smolts and the following spring to fall when they return to the rivers to spawn, they are referred to as one-sea-winter fish . The term refers to the age of first maturation . Parr: juvenile salmon found in the freshwater environment . Parr less than one year old, having hatched and emerged from the gravel bed in the spring are often referred to as fry . Pre vious spawner: refers to I SW and MSW salmon which have spawned previously, returned to sea after spawning, survived and are returning to the rivers for a second or more spawning . For example, previous I SW salmon are salmon which originally spawned as 1 SW maiden fish but are returning to spawn again . The proportion of previous spawners in the returns to a river varies immensely. Small salmon : For recreational fisheries, small salmon refers to any salmon with a fork length (straight line from the tip of the snout to the edge of the fork in the tail) less than 63 cm . This size group contains mostly I SW maiden salmon but in some areas of Canada (Bay of Fundy, Newfoundland) it is also comprised of I SW previous spawners . There are generally very few MSW maiden salmon in this size group . These fish are frequently referred to as grilse by anglers . In the accounting of the commercial fisheries catches, small and large salmon are based on weight categories, small salmon weighing less than 2 .7 kg whole weight. Smolt: intermediate stage in the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon . Refers to juvenile salmon which undertake the migration and transition from freshwater to marine conditions . Assessment methods and terminology Counting fence: Barrier placed in the river which guides fish through narrow and easily monitored points during their migration upstream or downstream . Counting fences are usually portable, installed and removed every year and provide a total count of fish moving either upstream and downstream. CPUE: Abbreviation for Catch-Per-Unit-Effort. This is the amount of fish caught divided by the amount of effort invested to catch it . CPUE data can be useful to indicate the changes occurring in fish population size . If you spend more time to catch fewer fish than in previous years, and other factors have not changed, then it probably indicates that your population is dropping . However, CPUE's are sensitive to changes in things like catch efficiency . If fishermen get better at fishing or come up with a gear which catches more fish for the same amount of time spent fishing, then CPUE values may not drop even when population size is falling . Density : Number of something per unit area. For example, number of salmon parr per 100 square meters of stream area. Escapees: fish