The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has announced the crab quotas for the Newfoundland and Labrador region for 2018.
In a press release issued just after 6 p.m. NL time tonight, April 4, the department said the Total Allowable Catch (TAC)for the NL region is 28,975. That’s an overall quota decrease of 17 percent from 2017.
Highlights of the management plan for this season are: a two percent increase in 3K, a 24 percent decrease in 3LNO (30 percent in the areas outside the 200 mile limit, and 24 percent in areas inside the 200 mile limit), a 19 percent increase in the 3Ps quota, and a 50 percent reduction in 4R3Pn. Quotas in 2J south will remain at 2017 levels.
The exact quotas per fishing zone are available on the DFO website:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/decisions/fm-2018-gp/atl-07-eng.htm
A decision on 2HJ north quotas will finalized at a later date.
The announcement on quotas comes just a couple of days after the Fish Price Setting Panel for Newfoundland and Labrador set the price for crab at $4.55 per pound, drawing criticism from fishers and the Fish Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union who contend the market can support prices closer to $5 per pound for harvesters.
http://www.thepacket.ca/news/fish-harvesters-union-come-out-against-snow-crab-price-199382/
Previous stories on the snow crab stocks:
http://www.thetelegram.com/business/snow-crab-biomass-relatively-unchanged-dfo-189143/
