CANADA’S shrimp fishing stocks off the coast of Labrador and parts of Newfoundland are in serious decline, say scientists.
The country’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans says the amount of shrimp in an area known as zone 6 is now at the lowest level in recorded history.
Shrimp fishing is one of the most important marine activities in that area of Canada and a major revenue earner for the industry.
Katherine Skanes, a biologist with the fisheries department in Newfoundland and Labrador, has predicted that zone 6 stock will now be given ‘critical’ designation for the first time. There are three levels of classification for a zone: healthy, cautious and critical.
According to an assessment completed last week, there were only 104,000 tonnes of fishable shrimp in the area in 2016, down 25 per cent from 2015, and down from a high of 785,00 tonnes in 2006.
Skanes told CBC radio that the department had not seen such a large decline before.
The female spawning stock declined by 27 per cent for the region, which covers much of the north-east coast of Newfoundland and southern Labrador.
A neighbouring area, zone 5, also experienced a 27 per cent decline, while zone 4 experienced a slight increase which, Skanes said could be a result of the currents in the area.
The department is currently working on a stock advisory report due for release next week which will be sent to industry and government before being released to the public. A final report will be written and discussed with people in the fishing industry next month.