While the spawning stock biomass of deepwater redfish (Sebastes mentella) in Unit 1 has declined since 2020, it remains at high levels and in the healthy zone.
“What we’re seeing is what was expected,” said DFO stock assessment biologist Caroline Senay.
“Redfish are weird animals. They don’t do babies each and every year. We were under moratorium in Unit 1 since 1995. There was no recruitment until the big cohorts in 2011, 2012 and 2013. We followed those individuals for a while. They peaked in 2019 at 4.3 million tonnes in Unit 1 and everybody was kind of wondering how will they all survive? In biology there’s something called carrying capacity. We were wondering if they can survive properly and that’s pretty much what we’ve seen since that big boom. They’ve stopped growing. They’re dying because of natural mortality, not because of the fishery. It’s going to decrease whether we fish it or not.”
The stock rebound resulted in the Unit 1 redfish fishery being re-opened in 2024 with a 60,000-tonne quota after being under moratorium since 1995. Harvesters barely caught five per cent of the TAC, said Senay.
In Unit 2, the population of Acadian redfish (Sebastes fasciatus), found in shallower waters, is at the lowest level observed since 2000. The Unit 2 redfish fishery has an 8,500-tonne TAC.
Where there is a mix of both species in the catches, Senay said a pilot project is starting this year.
“We are going to take some genetic samples in the commercial fishery to have a better grasp on the distribution of the two species and to get a better idea of what they are removing from the water,” she said.
In the lab at the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Québec, Senay said for the past few years, scientists have been carrying out experiments on some 600 redfish that were caught in the wild by divers to better understand the impact of climate change and high densities of redfish on their physiology — growth, mortality and food requirement.
“We are simulating in lab what fishermen are seeing in the water,” said Senay. “When we expose them to water temperatures like we have in the Gulf, the growth is reduced. We will also play with the level of food that we’re giving them to better understand… what we don’t know if there’s a tipping point that the biomass will decrease enough that they will finally have enough food for each and every individual. If that happened, we don’t know if the growth will start again or not. This is something we want to test in the lab. We will decrease feed until growth is stopped and then start feeding them as much as they want again to see if the growth starts again.”
The Unit 1 commercial redfish fishery opened on June 24, following an experimental fishing plan that was in place from May 1 to June 23.
“Landings from the experimental and commercial fisheries since May 15 are approximately 1,631 tonnes according to preliminary data,” said Axel Rioux, DFO Communications. “Ten licence holders have participated so far this fishing season.”
The Unit 1 TAC is 60,000 tonnes again this year.
“Information gathered from the first two years of this fishery will support the long-term development of a sustainable redfish fishery, and the government will continue to adjust fishing management measures as required and in consultation with stakeholders. DFO is committed to creating economic opportunities for Canadians without compromising on our protection of Canada’s coasts, waterways and fisheries for future generations,” said DFO in the media release announcing the opening of the 2025–26 commercial season.
In response to stakeholder concerns and low catch rates during the 2024–25 season, DFO has adjusted certain fishing management measures for the 2025–2026 season:
Fishing will be authorized in NAFO divisions 4RST for the entire length of the fishing season, from June 24 to March 31, and in NAFO subdivisions 3Pn and 4Vn from January 1 to March 31.
Fishing with all types of otter trawl, including bottom trawl, will be authorized during the 2025–26 fishing season.
Fishing will be authorized at shallower depths in summer than during the 2024–25 season.
Of the 60,000-tonne TAC, 50,000 tonnes will be shared based on the approach announced on January 26, 2024, which includes 14.8 per cent to inshore harvesters, 5.7 per cent to mid-shore harvesters and 58.7 per cent to offshore harvesters.
As part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to reconciliation, 10 per cent of the TAC will be allocated to Indigenous communities and 10 per cent to Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence shrimp harvesters who are negatively affected by the declining shrimp fishery.
