Transition to ITQS in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Northern Shrimp Fishery

Louise SavardGeorge Fraser
The northern shrimp fishery began in 1965. Its development has been influenced by the decline of the cod fishery and careful management of the shrimp fishing activities to prevent overcapacity. With a few exceptions, landings have increased steadily to 35,000 tons in 2004 with a market value of about $40 million.

Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) are found throughout the estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence at depths of 150 to 350 m. Northern shrimp change sex in the course of their life cycle, achieving male sexual maturity at about two and a half years, then becoming females between four and five years. Mating takes place in the fall, egg-bearing females then migrate to shallower water in winter, and the larvae hatch in the spring.

Most of the fishing is done by three fleets of trawlers from the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2004, there are 112 permanent licenses, about 350 crew members. Temporary licenses are also issued based on shrimp availability. All shrimp license owners must hold a groundfish license. Trawlers range from 55 to 90'm length. No trawler larger than 100' is authorized in the Gulf.

Northern shrimp are sold to processors employing more than 400 workers in eleven plants in Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. These plants also process groundfish. Processors have tried to create a niche market for "coldwater shrimp" to protect themselves from farm-raised shrimp.

Management plans focus on three principles: conservation of the resource; economic viability of shrimp fishermen; and stability of fishing capacity. There are four management areas: Sept-Iles, Anticosti, Esquiman, and Estuary. The fishing season runs from April 1 to December 31.

Management tools include: licenses, log books providing data on catch and effort, total allowable catches, individual transferable quotas, minimum mesh size, the Nordmore Grate, dockside monitoring, and on-board observers.

TAC-based management was instituted in 1982. The objective is to protect the reproductive potential of the stock.

In 1986, a minimum mesh size of 40 millimeters was adopted to allow small shrimp to escape and to better target marketable shrimp.

In 1991, at-sea observers were introduced.

In 1991, an individual quota system was adopted for Gulf shrimp at the request of license holders from Quebec and New Brunswick (referred to as Group B). Each participant received an initial quota allocation based on his historical catch from 1987 to 1989, subject to minimum and maximum ceilings. For the first two years, only temporary transfers were allowed. In 1993, the participants agreed to permanent transfers with some restrictions based on vessel size. An industry-funded dockside monitoring program is in place. Shrimp landings are typically at, or below the TAC.

In 1993, use of the Nordmore Grate to reduce bycatch became mandatory in the shrimp fishery. It has hurt the shrimper's ground fish landings, but it has increased the value of their shrimp catch by allowing small shrimp to escape and reducing the likelihood that larger, more valuable shrimp will be crushed by cod.

In 1996, shrimpers from Newfoundland and Quebec working the Esquiman region (referred to as Group A) transitioned to ITQs.

In 1998, a multi-year co-management approach was adopted in the Gulf shrimp fishery for regular shrimpers (holding a permanent license) of Quebec and New Brunswick (Group B). This co-management approach, which includes a sharing formula, was in effect from 1998 to 2003 and was renewed from 2003 to 2008. The sharing formula stipulates that when the quota for group B is below a certain threshold, it is allocated entirely to the regular shrimpers. On the other hand, when the quota is over the pre-determined threshold, it is shared between the regular shrimpers and the temporary allocation holders. Under the joint project agreement, regular shrimpers in Group B also contribute annually to fund activities complementing the Department's existing fisheries surveillance and scientific research efforts.

Consequences of ITQ management as reported by shrimpers, processors, and fishery managers include:

• It is no longer a competitive fishery. Each participants knows his share (in percent of the total allowable catch) at the beginning of the season.
The "race for the shrimp" has ended. It is no longer necessary to close the fishery in summer to save a part of the quota for the fall.
• The catch is spread out in the summer and fall at the request of processors. But there is still a "rush" in April and May when bigger, spawning females are concentrated over some fishing grounds.
• There is no evidence of high-grading or quota-busting.
• Rationalization of the fleet has occurred. Thirteen permanent northern shrimp licenses were withdrawn between 1994 and 1997.
• Between 1995 and 2000, fishing effort was relatively stable, but landings rose more than 35 percent due to an increase in shrimp biomass.
• Better planning has saved fishermen money. Average profits per fishermen show a general upward trend from 1992 to 2000.