Exploratory Fishing for Northern Stone Crab in NAFO Division 3PS to Gather Preliminary Data on Harvesting, Handling and Processing

Exploratory Fishing for Northern Stone Crab in NAFO Division 3PS to Gather Preliminary Data on Harvesting, Handling and Processing Fisheries and Marine institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development P.O. Box 4920, St. John s, NL, A1C 5R3 24 CSAR 2011 JANUARY 9, 2012

Exploratory Fishing for Northern Stone Crab in NAFO Division 3PS to Gather Preliminary Data on Harvesting, Handling and Processing Report Prepared by Philip J. Walsh 1, Michelle Thompson 2, Rennie Sullivan 2 Brian Gillett 2 from the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University Submitted To: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation 1 Primary Author for report 2 Secondary authors CSAR 2011 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 BACKGROUND/RATIONAL 4 2.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS 5 2.1 Harvesting 5 2.2 Processing 9 2.2.1 Whole Cooked Crab - Process and Yields - 10-2.2.2 Cooked Sections - Process and Yields - 11-2.2.3 Raw Frozen Sections - Process and Yields - 12-3.0 RESULTS 13 3.1 Harvesting 13 3.2 Processing 16 4.0 DISCUSSIONS 19 4.1 Harvesting 19 4.2 Processing 20 5.0 SUMMARY 21 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 22 7.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 22 7.0 LITERATURE CITED 23 APPENDIX I ENTRANCE/FUNNEL DETAIL USED DURING THESE EXPERIMENTS 24 APPENDIX II PICTURES TAKEN DURING HARVESTING 26 APPENDIX III PICTURES OF CRAB DURING PROCESSING 28 CSAR 2011 3

1.0 BACKGROUND/RATIONAL Northern stone crab (Lithodes maja) has been reported as a by catch species in the NAFO Division 3Ps groundfish fisheries (gillnets) for several years. Although the species is similar in size to snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) it has never been harvested commercially. Harvesters have expressed interest in exploring the potential of a commercial harvest for this species as catch rates in gillnets have been significant at times. From a commercial perspective, capture in gillnets can be problematic for the Northern stone crab as the crab can be damaged from the hauler or from being removed from the net. Therefore in order to commercially harvest the species, finding alternative methods for harvesting, handling, and processing is important. Previous research on the species reported the capture methods used were unable to attain CPUE above 2.0kg/per pot on a continuous basis. Many factors may contribute to the low catch rates, such as pot design, feeding behaviour, molt cycle, migration, reproduction and bait predation. Although some work has been completed on the distribution, biology and fisheries potential for Newfoundland and Labrador (Hiscock & Grant 2006), additional work is needed to evaluate the commercial potential of this species. In particular research concentrating on the gear technology and biological aspects of the species is required. This report addresses two aspects of Northern stone crab exploratory fishing research harvesting and processing methodologies. As part of the harvesting research, the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources designed and developed a series of prototype pots and evaluated their performance in catching commercial quantities of Northern stone crab under standard fishing operations. The processing component included an evaluation of the onboard handling and storage methods and processing techniques for traditional markets. Stone crab were landed and shipped to the Fisheries and Marine Institute s pilot plant for processing. Although the processing was initially intended to be conducted at the Green s processing facility, issues with access to equipment and facilities resulted in the work being conducted at the Marine Institute s Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development (CASD) processing plant. At the plant, the processing was conducted by Green s Seafood s Ltd. personnel with CASD technicians recording data and providing additional technical support. The following report summarizes the harvesting and processing results as they were as documented by CSAR and CASD, two applied research Centres within the Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland. CSAR 2011 4

2.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Harvesting Comparative fishing experiments were conducted on the South western edge of NAFO Division 3Ps, near the Laurentian channel from October 13 th to 26 th, 2011 (Figure 1). Fishing trials/experiments were completed on the 16.8m (55 ) F.V. Burin Tradition owned by Winston Pitcher from Burin, Newfoundland. Four types of pots were evaluated: 1. square pot with two large rectangular entrances (R1L) 2. square pot with two small rectangular entrances (R1S) 3. square pot with two circular entrances (R2C) 4. conical pot with two semi circle entrance (C1L) Figure 1: Area in which fishing experiments were conducted during Oct 13 th to 26 th, 2011 (modified from regular electronic nautical charts, Digital Ocean 1999, Chart 4047). CSAR 2011 5

Square pots were based on the Newfoundland cod pot design developed by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University (for more information, see Walsh and Hiscock, 2005; Safer, 2010). The square pots were 1.98m x 1.98m x 1.02m and the frame was constructed using 16mm (5/8 ) round stock steel. All square pots were collapsible with double floor and floating roof sections. The floating roof section of the pot ensured the pots always rested on the bottom, right side up, and increased the internal volume area for finfish captured by the pots. The conical pot design was based on the Newfoundland conical pot used in Snow crab fisheries with the experimental pots being larger in size (1.82m φ x 0.98m φ x 0.81m) and with the entrances positioned on the side. The traditional snow crab pot uses only one entrance located at the top of the pot. All pots were constructed using ⅝ round stock mild steel and 100mm (4 ) polyethylene netting. All funnels were constructed of 60mm (2.30 ) knotless nylon netting (Figure 2). Appendix 1 provides a detailed schematic of the funnel entrances. A total of three pots of each experimental pot design (12 pots in total) were constructed for this experiment. Pots were fished in fleets of 4 pots spaced approximately 182m (100fm) apart. Before each trail, the placement or order of the posts was randomly selected or assigned. The pots were baited with 2.28 kg (5 lbs) of squid and 7 herring. Herring were chopped into equal pieces (2.28kg) and placed with the squid in bait bags. The bait bags were constructed with fine mesh to prevent bait predation. In addition, a cod fish was placed in the bottom of each pot as exposed bait. A total of 12 retrievals, with varying soak times between sets (Table 1) were completed at depths of 120 439m (66 240 fm). Gillnets were used to verify that northern stone crab were present in the area for this experiment and were set and hauled while pots were fishing in the same area. Four retrievals were completed on a fleet of 12 gillnets. Each gillnet was 91.5 m (50fm) long by 3.7m (2fm) deep. The gillnets used in the study were 140mm (5.5 ) monofilament netting. Total catches of each species in all pot retrievals was documented for data analysis. The mean catch and mean weight of Northern stone crab was recorded. The numbers of males and females captured were documented and observations on the condition of the shell (hard, soft, and moulting) were also noted. The total catch and mean weight of white Hake (Urophycis tenuis) was also measured as this represented the most significant by catch species captured by the pots. An assessment of the onboard storage/handling procedures was conducted with stone crab (n=205) being subjected to two different holding methods for a period of 84 hours during the experimental trials: 1. circulating live well and also placed on 2. fresh water ice in the hole. Crab were taken from the pots and gillnets and placed in both the live well and on ice to determine if the harvesting or storage methods resulted in different stress (during handling) and/or subsequent mortality or critical weakness of the animal. From the gillnet captures, approximately 140 stone crab placed in a live well and 25 stone crab placed on ice. From the experimental pots, 20 crab were placed in the live well and 20 crab were placed on ice. Once the vessel landed the crab were reassessed (dockside) for mortalities and/or critical weakness. CSAR 2011 6

Figure 2: Design of pots tested in trials. All square pots were constructed the same except for type of entrance which is outline in each drawing. The conical pot design has its own parts list. CSAR 2011 7

Table 1: Set/Fleet catches (numbers) for Northern stone crab, hake, and other species, by pot type. Fleet/ Set # Date Pot Type R1L/R1S/ R2C/C1L Soak Time Depth Stone crab Stone crab Hake Other Hours M Male # Female # # # 1 10/17/2011 R1L 16:10 183 0 0 1 0 C1L 0 0 0 0 R1S 2 0 3 0 R2C 6 0 6 0 2 10/17/2011 R1S 15:58 163 0 0 3 0 C1L 1 0 0 0 R2C 1 0 11 0 R1L 0 0 0 0 3 10/17/2011 R1S 15:50 135 1 0 1 0 R2C 5 0 21 0 R1L 0 0 0 0 C1L 0 0 1 0 4 10/17/2011 R2C 34:10 66 0 0 3 0 R1L 0 0 0 0 R1S 1 0 0 0 C1L 0 0 0 1 5 10/17/2011 R2C 38:46 228 7 2 2 0 R1L 1 1 5 0 C1L 0 0 0 0 R1S 4 0 1 0 6 10/17/2011 R2C 27:35 205 0 0 4 0 R1S 1 0 1 0 C1L 0 0 0 0 R1L 0 0 0 0 7 10/19/2011 R2C 113:41 202 2 0 3 0 R1L 0 0 0 0 C1L 1 0 0 0 R1S 0 0 4 1 8 10/19/2011 R2C 113:20 205 13 4 9 0 R1S 1 2 1 0 R1L 0 0 3 0 C1L 1 0 0 0 9 10/19/2011 R2C 113:24 180 1 0 9 0 R1S 1 0 0 0 C1L 0 0 1 0 R1L 0 0 0 0 10 10/24/2011 C1L 15:12 129 1 1 0 0 R1S 0 1 6 0 R2C 1 1 17 0 R1L 0 0 1 1 11 10/24/2011 R2C 14:24 214 1 0 4 1 R1S 0 0 2 0 R1L 1 0 5 0 C1L 0 0 1 0 12 10/24/2011 R2C 14:10 222 0 0 7 1 R1S 0 0 4 0 C1L 0 0 0 0 R1L 0 0 0 0 Totals 54 12 140 5 CSAR 2011 8

2.2 Processing On October 20 th 2011, eight (8) 70L tote pans of Northern stone Crab were delivered to the Fisheries and Marine Institute in St. John s, Newfoundland. Crab from the live well were packed on ice and transported from the vessel to the processing facility where they were chilled (0 4 C) for 12 hours prior to processing on October 21, 2011. Commercially simulated processing was lead by Greens Seafood s Ltd., Winterton, Trinity Bay with additional technical support provided by the Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development (CASD). Green Seafood s personnel included Irvine Green and Ed Goff of Coley s Point Fisheries, CASD s technical team included Brian Gillett and Michelle Thompson. At the time of processing, it was noted that the Northern stone crab were all alive and active with the exception of one crab mortality. The processing technicians felt the crab had been dead for a significant period based on the decomposition odour emitted by the crab. All crab shipped to the Fisheries and Marine institute for processing were from the circulating live tank system on board the vessel. Despite efforts to hold crab on board the vessel using boxing and ice this method resulted in crab mortalities and as such were unavailable for the processing research. Three products were produced at the Marine Institute Pilot Plant; Whole Cooked Crab Cooked Sections Raw Sections Figure 3 provides a summary of the process used for the production of Whole Cooked Crab samples. CSAR 2011 9

2.2.1 Whole Cooked Crab Process and Yields Weight of Whole De iced Crab Weight of whole crab after Cooking/Cooling Whole crab Cooked by immersion in boiling water for 30 minutes after come up time Cool in 12 S brine ice water internal temperature 4 5 c Packed frozen at 26 C Glazed Master Carton Figure 3: Processing Process for Whole Cooked Crab Products CSAR 2011 10

2.2.2 Cooked Sections Process and Yields Figure 4 provides a summary of the process used for the production of cooked stone crab sections. Weight of Whole De iced Crab 39.6 kg Weight of Crab Sections (before soaking/washing) 25.46 kg De iced by inverting tote pan hand pick crab from the box Soak in ice water approx. 28 30 minutes. Weight of Sections after soaking/washing 25.84 kg Weight of Sections after Cooking/Cooling 23.32 kg Cool in 12 S brine ice water internal temperature 4 5 c Sections cooked by immersion 30minutes from come up time. Sections Packed 10 lbs/pan frozen at 26 C (4 full pans, 1 partial) Glazed Master Carton Figure 4: Processing Process and Yields for Cooked Sections CSAR 2011 11

2.2.3 Raw Frozen Sections Process and Yields Figure 5 provides a summary of the process used for the production of raw frozen stone crab sections. Weight of Whole De iced Crab Weight of Crab Sections (before soaking/washing) De iced by inverting tote pan hand pick crab from the box Soak in ice water with 12 S brine for approx. 28 30 minutes. Soak sections for 2 minutes in antioxidant (Oxinon 61.1g/70L water) Sections Packed 10 lbs/pan frozen at 26 C Glazed Master Carton Figure 5: Raw Frozen Sections Process and Yields CSAR 2011 12

3.0 RESULTS 3.1 Harvesting Catch Rates and By Catch Species A total catch of 66 crab (54 male, 12 female) were caught by pots and a total of 284 crab (255 male, 49 female) were captured by 4 fleets of gillnets. Mean carapace length (measured from eye socket to centre of back of the carapace) for males in all gears was 100.2mm and 73.3mm for female. For all retrievals on the experimental pots; R1L pot captured 5% (n=3), C1L captured 8% (n=5), pot R1S recorded 21% (n=14), while pot R2C captured 67% (n=44) of the total stone crab harvested (Table 2, Figure 6b). White hake (Urophycis tenuis) was the dominant by catch species in the pots (n=140) and accounted for 67% of the total species harvested in pots. As well, 69% of all hake were captured by the R2C pot. By comparison the gillnets captured a total of 384 hake (Table 2, Figure 6a); in many cases the hake were eaten by hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) and were discarded. The bottom temperature for areas fished with pots and gillnets ranged from 5.5 C to 9.7 C and the mean temperature was 6.89 C. Table 2: Total catch and percent of Northern stone crab and hake captured by the experimental pots and the control gillnets. Experimental Pot Type Number of Retrievals Total Number and Percent of Stone crab Captured by Gear Total No. And Percent of Hake Captured by Gear R1L 12 3 (5%) 15 (11%) R1S 12 14 (21%) 26 (19%) C1L 12 5 (8%) 3 (2%) R2C 12 44 (67%) 96 (69%) Control Gear Number of Retrievals Total Number Stone crab Captured Total Number of Hake Captured Gillnet per 50fm net 48 284 384 CSAR 2011 13

25 20 A. Hake R1L C1L R1S R2C 15 Catch # 10 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Set # 18 B. Northern Stone Crab 16 14 12 R1L R1S R2C C1L Catch # 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Set # Figures 6: Catch rates of hake (A) and Northern Stone Crab (B) per pot retrieval during experimental trials 3. 3 Gillnet were only used to ensure Northern stone crab were present in the area. Data not included in Graphs. CSAR 2011 14

Other by catch species captured in the pots included: Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) (n=3), monkfish (Lophius americanus) (n=2), redfish (Sebastes fasciatus) (n=1) and snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) (n=1). The largest single catch of Northern stone crab (n=17) was recorded in the R2C pot (13 male, 4 female). For each experimental pot type tested, each type of pot experienced retrievals containing no Northern stone crab. The mean catch (numbers of crab per pot retrieval) for pot R1L was 0.25 (SE = 0.18), R1S was 1.67 (SE = 0.34), C1L was 0.41 (SE = 0.19), and R2C was 3.67 (SE = 1.45). Mean weight (kg) recorded for the R2C pot type was 2.68 kg per retrieval, with all other pot types less than 1kg. Figure 7 shows the mean catch for each pot type in numbers and weights. A Pairwise Multiple Comparison Procedures analysis (Holm Sidak method) was performed on all pots. There was a significant difference in the mean catch between R2C vs. R1L (p=0.009) and R2C vs. C1L (p=0.012), while R2C vs. R1S means where not significantly different (p=0.063). However R2C captured more crab in 8 of 12 retrievals verses pot R1S. All other comparison between means for pots were not significantly different (p > 0.05). 6 5 Mean Weight Mean Catch Catch (#) / Weight (kg) 4 3 2 1 0 R1L R1S R2C C1L Pot Type Figure 7: Mean catch of Northern stone crab (by number and weight) captured by all pot types during the experimental trials. Error bars denote standard error (SE) of the mean. Catches of hake exceeded all expectations; pot R2C captured hake on all retrievals, with the highest capture being 21 hake (Table 1). Mean catch of hake for pot R2C was 8 per pot per retrieval, while pot R1S averaged 2.2 and pot R1L had an average of 1.25 hake per pot. Pot C1L did not retain many hake, averaging 0.25 hake per retrieval (Figure 8). When the data was further analyzed and when a retrieval of 16 hours or less were grouped together at pot R2C (Table 1), the mean catch of hake rose to 11 fish per pot and 66 of the 96 hake captured in Pot R2C were retained in these shorter soak times. R1S and C1L also increased their mean catch rate (3.17 and 0.33, respectively) on the shorter soak times but the pot (R1L) with the largest opening had a reduction in its mean catch for shorter soak times. This decrease in pot R1L could be associated with large opening in the entrance which provided easy ingress and egress CSAR 2011 15

from the pot. When a Pairwise Multiple Comparison Procedures analysis of means (Holm Sidak method) was performed, the R2C pot was significantly different from all other pots (p < 0.001). All other pots did not significantly differ from each other with respect to mean catch of white hake (p = > 0.05). 12 10 8 Mean Catch 6 4 2 0 R1L C1L R1S R2C Pot Type Figure 8: Mean catch white hake (by number) captured by all the pots types during the experimental trials (12 retrievals; n=140). Error bars denote standard error of the mean. Survival Rate and Shell Condition All Northern stone crab that were placed in the live well (140 from gillnets and 20 from pots) survived for 84 hours. One crab from this group of 140 individuals was found dead during the processing stage and was discarded. The crab were in a live tank circulating water system and water temperatures in the tank ranged from 8.6 C to 13.3 C. Surface seawater was continuously pumped into the live well, returning the used water into the ocean. Northern stone crab placed on ice (20 from pots and 25 from gillnets), were either dead, or very critically weak after 84 hours. Of the 45 crab placed on ice only 3 crab captured from the pots were still alive after 84 hours, all other crab were dead. Shell condition was noted for all crab. Only 3 individuals retrieved during the trip were found to be softshelled. All three of the soft shelled crab were retrieved from the gillnets and not the experimental pots. Based on observations the majority of the crab appeared to have new shells indicating that they had recently completed the moulting cycle. 3.2 Processing CSAR 2011 16

Table 3 provides a summary of the weights and yields obtained from the sample of Cooked Whole Crab produced from the Northern stone crab sample. The cooked yield (%) obtained for this product was 91.90%. Table 3: Total weights and yield for whole cooked Northern stone crab samples. Description Total Raw Weight of Northern Stone Crab (kg) Total Cooked Weight of Whole Northern Stone Crab (kg) Weight or Yield 13.08 12.02 % Cooked Yield from Whole Crab 91.90% Average Weight of Individual Northern Stone Crab (kg) 0.69 Table 4 provides a summary of the total weight (kg) and yield (%) obtained at various steps during the production of cooked crab sections. Table 4: Yields obtained from the production of cooked sections. Wt (kg) % Yield from Whole Crab Weight of Crab(kg) 39.6 Weight of Raw Sections(kg) Weight of Raw Sections(kg) After Washing Weight of Cooked/Cooled Sections(kg) 25.46 64.29 25.84 65.25 23.32 58.89 Table 5 provides a summary of individual crab weights obtained from a sub sample of Northern stone crab. CSAR 2011 17

Table 5: Sample of the individual weights of Northern stone crab. Sample Weight of Individual Crab (kg) 1 0.54 2 0.61 3 0.79 4 0.96 5 0.73 6 0.58 7 0.85 8 0.72 9 0.56 10 0.52 11 0.84 12 0.70 13 0.92 14 0.56 15 0.70 16 0.61 17 0.93 18 0.47 19 0.49 Total Sample Weight (kg) 13.08 CSAR 2011 18

4.0 DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Harvesting The experimental pots investigated in this study were based on pot designs that could be adapted for standard use/operations onboard commercial fishing vessels in the Newfoundland region. Given the Northern stone crab and commercial king crab are from the family of crab species, the main reason for testing square pot design was to determine if the commercially successful king crab square pot (as used in other parts of the world) would be suitable technology for harvesting stone crab in the Newfoundland region. The floating roof section guaranteed the pots always rested on bottom (right side up) ensuring the pots were always in fishing condition. To ensure fishing vessels could carry sufficient a quantity of pots with minimal space impact to the vessel, the pots were also designed to be collapsible. The conical pot design was similar to conical pot designs used for snow crab species on the East coast of Canada. The major difference between these prototypes was, their entrances were positioned on the side of the pot whereas the conical pots used for snow crab had a cone entrance positioned on the top. Conical pots are designed to be stackable thereby allowing vessels to carry sufficient quantities per trip to the fishing grounds. This experiment showed that the baited pot R2C outperformed the other experimental pots with an average catch of 3.67 Northern stone crab per retrieval compared to the other pots which captured significantly less. These catch rates are similar to results obtained during previous experiments (see review by Grant and Hiscock 2006). Several factors such as behavioural preferences, size of entrance opening, how far (distance) the entrance opening is off the seafloor, steepness of entrances and natural variation in crab distributions may help explain why different entrances/funnel shapes captured less Northern stone crab. Further behaviour studies, using subsea cameras, could provide insight into whether entrance shape, position, and size affect the behaviour and subsequent catch rates of Northern stone crab. Although the fishing area (NAFO Division 3Ps) where the study was conducted did capture stone crab, the low capture numbers obtained by the gillnet fishery (mean of 3.9 per net) suggest the overall distribution of the species may be low. As this study did not evaluate variation in distribution (over geographical area) it is difficult to determine whether the numbers obtained in this study are indicative of the natural distributions of this species or if other factors such as season (i.e. time of year) contributed to the observed catch rates. As data for this study was conducted during the month of October only, no conclusions on seasonal distribution or variation can be drawn from this study. Although other studies which were completed in the past experienced similar catch rates (Dooley and Johnson 1994; but see Grant and Hiscock 2006 for review), they occurred in different areas, during difference times of the year, and in different years. It is difficult to determine if the catch rates obtained are truly indicative of abundance without consideration for seasonal or geographic variation. Environmental changes may also play a role in the species behaviour, thus contributing to the overall catch potential of Northern stone crab. Based on these preliminary results, the catch data obtained does not appear sufficient to constitute a targeted fishery using the experimental pots. However, the catch rates obtained may be of sufficient CSAR 2011 19

quantity to support a by catch fishery. Based on the combined catch rates for the gillnets (3.9 crab) and experimental pots (e.g. R2C with 3.67 crab), a fishing enterprise deploying 200 nets or pots during the groundfish fishery could conceivably capture approximately 600 kg of crab per retrieval. If you multiply this by 5 day trip it would produce 3000 kg of Northern stone crab. From an economic perspective, if harvesters could receive $2.50 to $3.00 per kg (preliminary price) with a 2000 to 5000 kg landing per trip; the by catch from the traditional gillnet fishery could be a strong economic supplement to a harvester s yearly income. Catches from the pots could work if combined with other species such as white hake. Considering the pot R2C, this pot averaged 8 hake per retrieval and on short soak times averaged 11 hake per retrieval. If a harvester fished 200 pots (combined with an average of 600 kg of crab) per day and could capture 8 to 11 hake per pot the yield could be approximately 1900 hake per retrieval. Assuming hake averaged 2.5 kg per fish, a total of 4750kg of hake per day/retrieval could be harvested. If the financial return was consistent with today s price for hake (approximately $1.40 per kg) this could potentially result in the harvester having a return of $6650.00 per day for hake by catch. Using a conservative estimate for a five day trip, if the harvester receives $2 per kg of Northern stone crab ($1200.00 per day) the approximate gross value of combined by catch would equate to approximately $39,250.00. This would allow for a viable fishery using the R2C pots as the main method of harvesting. The R2C pot may also contribute to higher market values as the fish captured by the pots are alive and in market ready condition at the time of retrieval. By comparison, many hake captured by gillnets were destroyed by hagfish and were unsuitable for market. Storage of Northern stone crab on ice in the vessel hold was not effective. We attribute the high level of mortality to the following possibilities 1) warmth of the hold as water temperatures were high and resulted in significant ice melting; 2) the ice was freshwater ice and Northern stone crab may not cope well to freshwater; 3) and placing crab in pans with spines, and adding heavy ice may cause crab to damage each other with spines piercing the vulnerable underside of the crab. 4.2 Processing Observations made during the processing of raw Northern stone crab are as follows, 1) spikes make handling the Northern stone crab difficult for butchering; spines punctured worker s gloves, including gloves that were designed for use in handling glass; 2) gut material was left in sections after butchering and was very difficult to remove. A high pressure water flow was used to remove gut individually from sections; 3) the northern stone crab appeared to be soft shell underneath with a high proportion of water expelled during butchering. All crab appeared to be new shell crab; and 4) the liver was difficult to remove from sections with the brushes during the butchering process. There were also observations completed on processed cooked Northern stone crab; 1) Northern stone crab meat was similar in taste to lobster. It was sweeter than lobster but not as sweet as snow crab; 2) Northern stone crab meat texture was somewhat tougher than snow crab meat. It had a meatier texture in areas, especially in the claw; 3) even though the northern stone crab appeared to be new hard shell the shells were relatively full with meat in the legs and claws; 4) the meat from the cooked whole Northern stone crab had a bitter taste which was possibly a result of the cooking of the liver with CSAR 2011 20

the meat; 5) Northern stone crabs were 30% dead after leaving on ice for 4 days; and 6) Northern stone crab left on ice after 7 days, being dead showed no signs of blackening. The processing of Northern stone crab poses its own unique challenges given the spines located on both the legs and carapace of the crab. Processing specifications, handling and processing methods will need to be developed for this species as traditional processes will need to be adapted or modified to address some of the species characteristics. Some options such as High Pressure Processing (HPP) may provide a viable opportunity as this technology is used in lobster and crab processing. This method would enable marketing of fresh, shucked Northern Stone crab meat or fresh crab meat without the use of heat. 5.0 SUMMARY In this study the R2C pot outperformed the other pot types in catching Northern stone crab. The overall numbers of crab caught by both pots and gillnets were low, suggesting that the population abundance may not be sufficient for a targeted fishery. However it may be able to support a small bycatch fishery. The results from this study were not able to determine geographic or seasonal variation in catch rates. Seasonal based assessments may provide additional information into the distribution or abundance of the animals over time. Future pot development work should consider avoiding the use of steep funnel entrances as it may play a negative role in harvesting/capturing Northern stone crab. The pot (R2C) appeared to be the most effective pot for the harvest of Northern Stone crab and hake. The combination of the by catch from the pots and the gillnets could yield significant economic return for harvesters. This approach should be further investigated and examples on how to proceed are outlined in the recommendations. CSAR 2011 21

6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS Winston Pitcher, the harvester involved in this work, has expressed interest in continuing the work initiated by this research study. Mr. Pitcher has articulated an interest in building pots to target white hake, while taking Northern stone crab as a by catch in this fishery. Both species inhabit the same depth range and offer the opportunity to achieve capture rates similar to what was achieved during this preliminary work. Mr. Pitcher s contribution toward pot construction is based on an intention to conduct further fishing between August and December 2012. Mr. Pitcher has already identified a buyer for any white hake captured and Greens Seafood s Ltd. have indicated they are interested in purchasing Northern stone crab provided both an experimental fishing licence and experimental processing licence can be issued by appropriate government departments. It is recommended that; 1. A meeting be set up to look at the possibility of Mr. Picture using pots to target white hake in the fall of 2012, while catching Northern stone crab as a by catch species; 2. Providing a licence is granted, a proposal be developed to assist Mr. Pitcher in preparing for this fishery with respect to pot construction and other gear purchases; the proposal would be developed collaboratively with the appropriate federal and provincial departments, and submitted to identified funders; 3. A more detailed scientific plan (e.g. JPA) must be developed over the next 3 5 years to gather information on the biology and distribution of the species. Developing a more detailed understanding of the biological, behavioural and environmental factors that affect this species is critical if commercial harvest is to occur; 4. A harvesting plan must be prepared in conjunction with Mr. Pitcher, outlining areas to be fished, type and amount of gear to be used, buyers and markets, and amount of quota needed to move forward; 5. Further research on alternative processing methodologies such as the Marine Institute s High Pressure Processing (HPP) system should be considered. 7.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI) and Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador (FTNOP program) for their financial and technical assistance in the development and implementation of this project. Gratitude is also extended to the crew of the F. V. Burin Tradition who assisted wherever possible to ensure a successful completion of the project. CSAR 2011 22

7.0 LITERATURE CITED Dooley, T. & Johnson, B. (1994). Exploratory fishing for northern stone crab on the south coast of Newfoundland 1993. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Fisheries, Harvesting Operations Division. P 5. Hearn, D. 2001. Northern stone Crab (Lithodes maja) Exploratory Fishing Project Summary. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, St. John s NL. P 4. Hiscock, W. & Grant, S. (2006). Northern Stone Crab (Lithodes maja) Distribution, Biology, and Fishery Potential. Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, Fisheries & Marine Institute of Memorial University, St. John s NL. P 204 3 7p. McAllister, H. (1969). Deep sea red crab and Lithodes maja (Northern stone crab). Report No. 19. In: Developments in the crab industry. Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Industrial Development Report. Safer, A. (2010). Newfoundland cod pot fishery looks promising. Commercial Fisheries News, Volume 38, Number 4, 3p. Squires, H.J. (1990). Decapod crustacean of the Atlantic Coast of Canada. Canadian Bulletin of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Walsh, P., and Hiscock, W. (2005). Fishing for Atlantic Cod using Experimental Baited Pots. Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, Technical Report P 56, 30p. CSAR 2011 23

APPENDIX I ENTRANCE/FUNNEL DETAIL USED DURING THESE EXPERIMENTS Drawing 1: Outlines the size of entrance opening for each pot type. 24 CSAR 2011

Drawing 2: Detail of how netting panels were cut to construct entrances for each pot type. CSAR 2011 25

APPENDIX II PICTURES TAKEN DURING HARVESTING Picture 1: Vessel F.V. Burin Tradition was vessel used for this work and is owned by Winston Pitcher Picture 2, 3 and 4: Hauling pots. Pot being taken aboard containing white hake and Northern stone crab. CSAR 2011 26

Picture 5, 6, 7 and 8: Pots with a catch of Northern stone crab and white hake. Picture 9 and 10: Northern Stone Crab in live well after 84 hours; crab entangled in gillnet. CSAR 2011 27

APPENDIX III PICTURES OF CRAB DURING PROCESSING Picture 1 & 2: Whole Crab and Underside Soft. Picture 3 and 4: Butchering; Note Gut material in section after butchering. Picture 5 & 6: Section with gut material and section with gut material removed by water. CSAR 2011 28

Picture 7 & 8: Section note liver remaining; Removing gut Material. Figure 9 & 10: Cooking sections; Cooling sections. Figure 11: Weighing sections. CSAR 2011 29

Figure 12 & 13: Packed Sections and ready for freezer. Figure 14 & 15: Cooked Whole Crab (both pictures). CSAR 2011 30