Assessment of candidate harvest decision rules for compliance to the precautionary approach framework for the snow crab fishery in the southern gulf of St. Lawrence

""Snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio, has been commercially exploited in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence since the mid-1960s. The fishery is managed using an annual total allowable catch. Catches from a bottom trawl survey are used to estimate the biomass of commercial-size (>=95 mm carapace width) adult male snow crab and used to establish the annual total allowable catch. Reference points (limit reference point, upper stock reference point, maximum removal rate in the healthy zone) have been defined for this stock. Harvest decision rules are required to complete the elements of the fishery decision-making framework incorporating the precautionary approach (PA). A joint DFO/Industry working group was convened to develop harvest decision rules that conform to the PA framework. It was agreed that the working group would submit their work for peer review to assess whether the candidate harvest decision rules conformed to the PA policy. This document provides an assessment of the compliance to the PA of candidate harvest decision rules for the snow crab fishery of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence."--Document."

"Assessment of candidate harvest decision rules for compliance to the precautionary approach framework for the snow crab fishery in the southern gulf of St. Lawrence"
"Assessment of candidate harvest decision rules for compliance to the Precautionary Approach framework for the snow crab fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence"