FISHERIES AND MARINE SERVICE Translation Series No. 3621 ARCHIVES Squid fishing in areas of the I.C.N.A.F. by F.J. Touron-Figueroa Original title: La. 4 pesqueria de la pota en areas de la I.C.N.A.F. From: Ind. Pesq. XVIII: 4-5, 1975 Translated by the Translation Bureau(MBU) Multilingual Services Division Department of the Secre:ary of State of Canada Department of the Environment Fisheries and Marine Service Biological Station St. John's, Nfld. 1976 10 pages typescript
) -r) DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. TRANSLATION BUREAU MULTILINGUAL SERVICES reittii- Pg vere SECRÉTARIAT D'ÉTAT BUREAU DES TRADUCTIONS DIVISION DES SERVICES CANADA. DIVISION MULTILINGUES TRANSLATED FROM - 1 RADUCTION DE Spanish INTO - EN English AUTHOR - AUTEUR Francisco Javier Touron-Figueroa TITLE IN ENGLISH - TITRE ANGLAIS Squid fisning in areas of the I.C.N.A.F. TITLE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TRANSLITERATE FOREIGN CHARACTERS) TITRE EN LANGUE ÉTRANGÉRE (TRANSCR)RE EN CARACTÈRES ROMAINS) La pesqueria de la Dota en areas de la I.C.N.A.F. REFERENCE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE (NAME OF BOOK OR PUBLICATION) IN FULL. TRANSLITERATE FOREIGN CHARACTERS. RÉFÉRENCE EN LANGUE ÉTRANGÈRE (NOM DU LIVRE OU PUBLICAT ) ON), AU COMPLET, TRANSCRI RE EN CARACTÈRES ROMAINS. Industrias Pesqueras REFERENCE IN ENGLISH - RÉFÉRENCE EN ANGLAIS Fishing Industries PUBLISHER - ÉDITEUR DATE OF PUBLICATION DATE DE PUBLICATION PAGE NUMBERS IN ORIGINAL NUMÉROS DES PAGES DANS L'ORI GI NAL PLACE OF PUBLICATION LIEU DE PUBLICATION YEAR ANNÉE VOLUME ISSUE NO. NUMÉRO 4-5 NUMBER OF TYPED PAGES NOMBRE DE PAGES DACTYLOGRAPHIÉES 1975 XVIII 1163 10 REQUESTING DEPARTMENT MINISTÉRE CLIENT Environment TRANSLATION BUREAU NO. NOTRE DOSSIER N 0 1089504 BRANCH OR DIVISION DIRECTION OU DIVISION 'Fisheries TRANSLATOR (INITIALS) TRADUCTEUR (INITIALES) M. Bu. PERSON REQUESTING DEMANDÉ PAR YOUR NUMBER VOTRE DOSSIER N 0 11. C. Mercer DATE OF REQUEST December 12, 1975 DATE DE LA DEMANDE TRAN5LAVON For infoynl.*:.:n only TRADCT: -::`,N NON M.WISEE inforraa ion studamont sian 5 1975 SOS 2 00404 IRE V. 2/68) 7 530.21.029-6333
DEPARTMENTOFTHESECRETARYOUSTATE t TRANSLATION BUREAU - r s '7) / secrei.eariat D'É AT BUREAU DES TRADUCTIONS MULTILINGUAL SERVICES DIVISION CANADA DIVISION DES SERVICES MULTILINGUES CLIEN S NO. NO DU CLIENT DE PA RIMENT MINISTÉRE DIVISION/BRANCH DIVISION/DIRECTION CITY VILLE Environment Fisheries Ottawa BUREAU NO. N 0 DU BUREAU 1089504 LANGUAGE LANGUE TRANSLATOR (INITIALS) TRADUCTEUR (INITIALES) Spanish M. Bu. Jan. 5, 1976 SQUID FISHING IN AREAS OF THE I.C.N.A.F. By Francisco Javier Touron Figueroa t.3 T 1?, N I...A, T ; 0 11 Fr.-Jr inf only T R A!.".) ;1 R EV 1 S E Gf-.mke.1.-2.nt On May 17 last, the refrigerator boat "ANUSKA" of the José Puerta Oviedo Fisheries set out from Vigo in the direction of Subareas 3 and 4 of the ICNAF (International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries), for the purpose of observing and at the same time advising on the fisheries prospecting which would be carried out in that area. Our mission was that of exploring those fishing grounds, to determine their possible yield of squid. Cephalopod Ommastrephid, scientifically known as Illex illecebrosus (Lesueur). SEASONAL SPECIES This species is fished seasonally, and begins to reach the shelf of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia around the end of July, departing in October-November for still unknown deep sea zones where they spawn. The seasonal habits of the species makes all fishing exploration difficult, since any change or fluctuation intrinsic in or extrinsic to the species, may delay or anticipate its migration to the shelf, thus leading to inaccurate conclusions. 53G-20a-10-31
As we indicated in the beginning, our task on board comprised two aspects: first, to observe what happened throughout the entire exploration; second, to advise the Captain, providing him with all the information and data previously compiled for this purpose, which could in any way offer practical guidance in our work. We might mention a third aspect, which is important from every point of view, namely the collection of all the material and data which, once in the laboratory, would permit us to conduct a detailed study on the possibilities of this fishery. The reason for this exploration was the desirability of finding new fishing grounds in Subareas 3 and 4 to permit the expansion of the Spanish fleet, which presently concentrates its efforts in the so-called Boston area, or in other words, ICNAF Subareas 5 and 6, Spain has an allotted quota of 3,000 mt of squid, in Subeareas 3 and 4, which up to now have not'been explored..because of the preliminary nature of this report e only some initial results are given which, subsequently, will be organized and supplemented with all those collected data of which the analysis and study will require some time. AREA COVERED AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HAULS Our exploration began on the eastern side of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, extending to the southerly part of St. Pierre Bank, on to Banquereau and then westward up to Browns Bank, right on the boundary of ICNAF Subareas 4 and 5.
3 A total of fifty-four hauls were made with an average hauling time of 3 hours and 53 minutes, the longest lasting 6 hours and 10 minutes, and the shortest 6G minutes. The depths at which we worked ranged mainly from 65 to 110 fathoms. As an index of abundance, we temporarily used the amount of fish per haul, expressed in kilograms. Considering the fifty-four hauls together without distinction of the zones where they were made, we arrived at 317 kg/haul. Below, we are reviewing in some detail the results obtained in each Division, always in the understanding that they are only preliminary results. DIVISION 3N A total of nine hauls were made, between geographical co-ordinates: 49 0 04 W, 44 37 N and 51 0 00 W and 43 06 N, following the configuration of the bank at previously selected depths.... gy.iisic 'yrel - 31( '."C-21\ -...:71(,-, 7-,--,!... 2--,...:-. _.., _ifid:...-ti,r'n.i i r...-41:?;-- ('-:..-----r t(---1.-:k42.:1' ::::7:i4:-.u----7..-- ifit,'"?...:72----.4-'1.,':: _.:.-;::,;d--:,- -e' -5....,,--. -..., 41N,-; IN \ :2,,,e)..6Arl).-4.z. :4x1 ;I:., L er.. -i -is (P- i _...L. c.'-...2. : - ' I r.1 Location of the areas in the Northwest Atlantic where the research was conducted.
4 In two of the nine castings, the gear was severely damaged, while it suffered considerable breakage on other occasions. Prospecting in this zone was considerably complicated by the roughness of the bottom, for whichftype 411e) of gear used in the fishing of this species is too delicate. The squid catches in this Division were limited to a single specimen which turned out to be a female 168 mm long (length of the mantle). The temperatures of the surface sea water ranged from 0 0 to 4 C. Raja radiata, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (winter flounder) Sebastes marinus (red perch), Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (white sole) and Gadus morhua (cod) were the most frequent species, with a certain predominance of raja radiata in all the catches. None of these species was very abundant. Also appearing were, other non-commercial species which are not mentioned. DIVISION 3-0 In this zone, a total of ten hauls were made, between geographical co-ordinates: 510 18 W,43 20 N and 54 25 W 45 06 N, always near the sea bottom at 65-75 fathoms, about 80 fathoms and others at 85-110 fathoms. The duration of trawling was already given at the beginning, as an average figure for the fifty-four hauls. The squid catch in this Division turned out to be nil, with no specimen of the species having been observed. Of the ten castings, one was nil without any fish or cephalopod being caught.
5 Although the bottom, because of its nature, is better suited for trawling than that covered in the preceding zone, it did present certain difficulties which, however, were overcome, and eight of the ten hauls were used as a sample of fishing in that zone. The temperatures of the surface sea water ranged from 2 to 5 o C, the latter figure being more frequent. The most frequent species in these hauls were (only the commercial species of major interest are mentioned): Pseudopleuronectes americanus (winter flounder), Gadus morhua (cod), isolated specimens of Hippoglossus hippoglossoldes (halibut), Urophysis sp. (forked hake), Melanogramus aeglefinus (haddock) and certain quantities of Sebastes marinus (red perch), Lophinus americanus (American goosefish), Raja radiata and others. We believe that temperature is an important, possibly determining factor in the presence of Illex illecebrosus. However, due to the fact 'that we do not have a net probe, the bottom temperatures could not be calculated and since there is a possibility of thermal inversion, we could not determine whether this is the only factor that keeps the squid away. However, we believe it very possible that this is the case, though this is no more than a'personal impression, since we have no data to confirm it. DIVISION 3 Ps Only two castings were made, of which one was nil and since the gear got caught on the bottom, it resulted in the almost total loss of same. The surface temperatures in these two castings were 3 C.
6 In the second of the two castings, a certain quantity of Raja radiate, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (winter flounder) and a very limited number of Gadus morhua (cod) and Glyptocephalus cynoglosus White sole) were caught. Once again, no Illex illecebrosus (squid) were caught. DIVISION 4 Vs. In the attached figure, we have indicated two zones within this division. In the most northerly, the nets were cast twice, but with negative results and considerable breakage of the net in both cases. This, as may be seen, was a motive of concern throughout the entire expedition since, in cases where the net could be repaired on board, a large amount of time was lost, aside from the large financial loss which this implies. The more Southerly zone of the two indicated is the first zone where squid was caught. The most abundant haul was approximately 2,625 kg. and the least abundant 50 kg. This zone, which is some 20-25 miles long, suitable for trawling and facing approximately NNE-SSW, was worked at depths ranging from 76 to 84 fathoms and, as already stated, was the only zone where significant catches were made, though these were of low commercial value. The mean index of abundance of 371 kg/ haul given at the beginning is based almost entirely on quantities obtained in this zone. The temperatures, which were slightly higher, ranged from 4 to 6 C, though remaining below optimum conditions, since this zone at no time showed
7 the optimal minimum bottom temperature of above 8 C, the most appropriate range being between 8 and 13.6 C. The additional catches which accompanied the squid were generally lower, when the amount of squid was greater (there will be a more detailed study of this aspect in the final work, following analysis of the data). The content of these additional catches may be summarized as follows: Gadus morhua (very few), Raja radiata (abundant), Pseudopleuronectes americanus (frequent, relatively abundant), Hippoglossus hippoglosoides (very few), Lophius americanus, isolated specimens of Hippoglosoides platessoides (flounder) and Merlucius bilinearis (sometimes abundant). In some cases, the additional catches did not exceed 3%, when the squid was present in appreciable quantities, and in others, they reached 80-90%, when the amount of squid was minimal. Our impression, in view of this, is that improved hydrographie conditions, with close to optimum temperatures, would produce more satisfactory results. DIVISION W and 4X Here, a total of 3 hauls were made in the,area indicated in the attached figure, the squid catches again being nil, since one of the nets broke. The most frequent species here was Merlucius bilinearis (hake). FINAL REMARKS As we mentioned at the beginning, the fact that this is a seasonal species make its study difficult, above all when it is studied in isolated fashion at a given time of the year. We feel it would be worthwhile to conduct new, more exhaustive studies, carrying on
8 board all the material which might be useful for obtaining supplementary data, which could provide more information on and a broader knowledge of this fishery. Consequently, it is hazardous to speak of possibilities, since our information is limited to a relatively short period; nevertheless, as we indicated at the beginning, we believe that the figures obtained underestimate the real situation, perhaps because we came to the fishing ground too early in the year, when the prevailing conditions were not ideal. Expeditions carried out by other countries in research vessels indicate the presence of squid in the entire zone which we explored, although the temperatures at which these studies were made ranged from 8 o to 13.6 o C, and in no case were squid specimens obtained in temperatures below 5 o C. Actually, during our presence there, we recorded highly unfavorable conditions, as already stated l so we believe that the low yield obtained (371 kg/haul)underestimates the possibilities of this zone. Once we reached the geographical boundary between Subareas 5 and 6, we transferred to Pescapuerta 2, a stern trawler of 500 TRB, belonging to the same firm. We remained there for a period of approximately fifteen days, collecting fisheries data and making observations on the additional catches which, during our presence there, turned out to be practically nil; as a preliminary figure, we might give 2.5% which was composed of butterfish (Priapulus triacantus) and rare specimens of Hormarus americanus (lobster), which were returned to the sea in both cases.
9 We have seen the problems which trap fields represent for the trawler fleet, both national and international. We believe it would vm9 be worthwhile to have signalling regulations, make it obligatory to indicate the beginning and the end of these fields, as well as the direction that the traps are facing in the sea (N-S-E-W), etc. This could be provided through the construction of distinct buoys for each case, at the same time equipping all of them with a radar reflector, since the majority do not have them. The adoption of these measures would serve as a protection for this gear and would permit trawlers to detect it easily and thus avoid damaging it. During our stay; we were pleased to see that at least the Spanish fleet suspended fishing operations in zones near such fields. This wasdone, not only by the boat in which we were travelling, but also by the rest of the Spanish fleet working in the area. Concrete data and firm figures on additional catches and a detailed description of the entire squid fishery in those two subareas will be included in a later work, which we hope will prove useful to the fleets, while representing a new scientific contribution by Spain to the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. Lastly, we wish to say that, in our opinion, a rational, continuous sampling plan, which would supply data and information on catches, measurements of the biological type, observations on fish returned to the sea, additional catches, etc., would be of vast utility.
10 Although in expeditions of an exploratory type having a specific, non-routine mission, the presence of a biologist to carry out the sampling plan is desirable, there might be a person with average education in the area who could be given instruction for this purpose and who, being present throughout the season, could provide the biologist with all the data and information which would serve as a basis, when the work of a purely scientific and also of a practical nature is. carried out, for the benefit of the fleet and at the same time, representing a major portion of Spain's scientific contribution to the Commission.