Scallop by trawl fishery
2 species of scallops, spiny Chlamys hastata (to 80 mm) and pink Chlamys rubida (to 71 mm) are harvested in in-shore waters by small trawls.
The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada discontinued the commercial scallop fisheries following the 1999 fishing season because the fisheries were data limited with few management controls. In 2000, Fisheries and Oceans Canada initiated a limited experimental fishery for scallops by trawl under scientific licence to obtain important information to develop a biologically-based management plan and a sustainable fishery. In 2000, a Framework for Pink and Spiny Scallop Fisheries off the West Coast of Canada was written (Lauzier et al. 2000) and protocols for trawl surveys were developed. In 2005, a subsequent paper analysed data from 2000 – 2002 experimental scallop fisheries and provided some preliminary biological reference points as well as recommendations for the continued assessment and management of the fisheries (Lauzier et al. 2005).
Since then, the Department has licensed the scallop by trawl harvest using scientific and non-transferable exploratory fishing licences. As part of the exploratory fishery, collaborative surveys with the commercial industry have been conducted for several fishing locations. Biological information is also collected to provide information on appropriate harvest rates and to refine biological parameters.
The size of the trawl net is limited to a maximum width of two metres. A minimum size limit measured through the longest diameter of the shell perpendicular to the hinge is in effect for both species of commercially harvested scallops. Some area closures exist.
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