Dungeness Crab Integrated Fisheries Management Plan Island Marine Aquatic Working Group Fisheries & Oceans Canada September 19, 2017 Crab IFMP Summary Overview management measures Post-season review (commercial) Pre-season planning (new management information) 2 1
Crab Management & Monitoring FSC Recreational Commercial Licensing ACL Sport licence Licence limitation (189 R, 32 FR); area-based licensing Gear Rot cord Marking 2 traps/rings Rot cord Marking Catch limit North & WCVI 6 / 12 Gulf 4 / 8 Size limit Monitoring & Reporting 3 Trap limits by area Rot cord/panel Escape rings Maximum volume Min/Max soak time Marking Competitive ---------------------------------165 mm Dungeness, 115 mm Red Rock---------------------------------------- Designation (commercial vessels and gear) Quarterly Report Catch calendars / harvester report Buoy surveys Creel survey - catch and some effort National Recreational Survey ev. 5 yrs (2015) On-line survey (new) Buoy surveys Hails Electronic monitoring Logbooks Sales slips Biosampling Season Year-round Year-round Seasonal area closures Weekly haul restrictions in some areas Biological Voluntary release of females Male only Male only Commercial fishery post-season review 4 2
6 3
4
Pre-season planning and ongoing work 10 5
Crab Pre-Season Planning Crab Sectoral October 4 Vancouver Island Conference Centre 9:00am IFMP Draft for 30-day consultation (late Oct) Finalise Licence Conditions/Regulations & Intra-departmental IFMP reviews RDG Briefing Note and IFMP Finalised Final Crab IFMP available for distribution prior to April 1, 2018 Fishery start date (IFMP) changed from Jan 1 start to April 1 Accommodate fishery timing Extend consultation timelines Ongoing work Fisheries Management Fishery Monitoring & Catch Reporting AAROM Groups: IMAWG Crab Sectoral Committee AFS and PICFI Co-management Bilateral meetings Standards for fishery monitoring & catch reporting Commercial EM standards Buoy counts AFS reports, catch calendars, database FSC DFO will work with FNs to develop communal licence conditions that take into account increased access to shellfish fisheries for FSC Commercial Access Communal Commercial Licences Long term licence assignment based on business plans 12 6
New Management Information - Crab 13 Commercial Area Selection Commercial fishery selects areas to fish every 3 years (see area map on slide 5) Each Crab Management Area has a trap cap and vessel maximum More vessels = less traps per vessel 14 7
Area Selection continued Letter to licence holders and Fishery Notice will be sent out in spring 2018 as a reminder Fall of 2018 selection begins 2 rounds of selection 1 st round results are published prior to 2 nd round Implemented April 1, 2019 (new IFMP) 15 Crab Consultations with First Nations Issue, Background, Proposed Management Measure: Crab conservation (Releasing females) Setting/hauling crab gear at night Crab Holding Cages Undersized crab mortality Ghost fishing FSC opportunities Next steps 8
Issue: Crab Conservation Retention of female crab reduces spawning stocks and may result in lower productivity of an area. Background: The mandatory release of female crab is a condition of licence for commercial and recreational harvesters but not in most First Nations FSC fisheries Some (many?) First Nations have adopted this practice as a best practice. Proposed Management Measure: Mandatory release of female crabs in FSC fisheries 17 Issue: Setting/Hauling Crab Gear at Night Illegal harvesting activities often occur at night Background: Illegal harvesting activities (e.g. use of unmarked gear, harvesting in closed areas, etc.) and sales of crab have become a significant concern. These activities pose a threat to the conservation and productivity of the crab stocks and undermine the accuracy of harvest data used to make management decisions. Currently, there is no setting or hauling traps at night in the Areas H, I &J commercial fisheries and and in some subareas in Burrard Inlet/Indian Arm in the Lower Mainland recreational fishery 18 9
Setting/Hauling at Night continued Proposed Management Measure: No setting or hauling crab traps at night in Areas 14, 16 to 19, 28 and 29 for First Nations FSC and recreational fisheries (already disallowed in commercial fisheries) 19 Holding Cages Issue: C&P has noticed an increase in holding cages possibly for illegal sales Background: Holding cages are increasingly being used to help facilitate extensive illegal activity and illegal sales of crab in the region, causing a conservation concern Only the commercial fishery has licence conditions regulating holding cages Proposed Management Measure: Regulate the use of holding cages in the recreational and FSC fisheries Options include marking, numbers/size allowed, discontinuing their use, other(?) 20 10
Undersize Crab Mortality Issue: Mortality of undersize and females crabs in traps Background: Mortality of undersize crabs occurs, particularly during softshell times, when they cannot escape from the traps Large (legal) crab do not escape; small males, females (generally smaller) & softshell crab use escape rings Commercial fishery has escape rings Escape rings are mandatory on some First Nations FSC traps Proposed Management Measure: Escape rings on recreational and remainder of FSC crab traps (consultations continuing) Issue: Ghost-fishing Ghost-fishing by traps when they are lost Causes mortality of crabs and other fish/invertebrates when they enter the lost traps Trap keeps re-baiting itself with the mortalities Background: If trap is lost, rot cord dissolves and allows trap to open or creates a hole in trap Rot cord is mandatory on commercial, recreational crab traps Mandatory on FSC traps in North Coast and Fraser Areas 11
Ghost-fishing continued Wording in South Coast FSC licences: (ii) Encourage crab harvesters to have crab traps with a section in the top or sidewall that has been secured by a length of untreated cotton twine (Rot Cord) no greater than #120. On deterioration this must produce a rectangular opening with a minimum size of 7cm X 20cm, or a square opening with a minimum size of 11cm X 11cm. Proposed Management Measure: Make rot cord regulations same on all FSC licences (mandatory) Update language on rot cord regulation to include the hinged stainless round traps ( commercial style ) 23 Long-term Coastwide Crab Access Issues Issue: Access requests to Dungeness crab by non-commercial users Background: To provide access to crab, some areas have commercial closures, either seasonal or year-round Inconsistent approach from area to area Data limited, intensive process to assess needs and areas Sea otters may make some closures ineffective 12
Current Approach: Access continued Closures, seasonal, year-round and softshell Best Management Practices ( informal local practices) Regional FSC Fisheries Access Framework Other suggestions to address the issue? Next steps DFO seeking feedback from First Nations and other user groups on the issues noted in this presentation (release of female crab, setting/hauling at night, escape rings, rot cord), the proposed new measures to address them or other suggestions/ideas DFO will contact AAROMs and individual First Nations that request bilateral meetings for further follow-up 26 13
Contacts Resource Management: Jen Gordon, Lead Resource Manager: (250) 627-3477 David Fogtmann, Comox: (250) 339-3799 Mike Kattilakoski, Nanaimo: (250) 756-7315 Science: Jason Dunham, Nanaimo: (250) 729-8364 27 14