News Releases
Government Home Search Sitemap Contact Us  


May 13, 1996
(Fisheries and Aquaculture)


Experimental fisheries announced

Experimental projects to determine whether there is potential for commercial development of two underutilized species are going ahead this month, Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister John Efford announced today.

"If the findings from these experiments are what I hope they will be, then this province could have a new commercial fishery in Atlantic king crab, and another for shrimp using gear not used in the shrimp fishery now," he said.

The minister said that while there is no guarantee this will happen, he is encouraged by the results of experimental work done to date.

Meanwhile, he said: "The only guarantee we can count on is that we will certainly not have new fisheries if we sit back and do nothing to determine if the new fisheries are possible."

At a news conference today, Mr. Efford outlined details of the experimental work being done.

In the case of shrimp, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has acquired shrimp pots to do experimental harvesting in seven bays - Fortune Bay, Trinity Bay, Conception Bay, White Bay, Bonavista Bay, Notre Dame Bay and St. Mary's Bay. In each bay, a fishermen will test fish 25 pots. This is being done under harvesting permits issued to the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

The objective is to develop an inshore fishery for shrimp, using shrimp pots instead of trawls. The project now under way will provide information on catch rates in different regions, and some idea of the distribution of the shrimp resource.

Experimental work already done with the pots in Fortune Bay has shown that the pots fish shrimp almost exclusively, thus practically eliminating any bycatch problem, and the quality and size of the landed shrimp have been good.

The shrimp pots are being used successfully now in Nova Scotia and have been in use for a number of years in the State of Maine, with good results.

As with the shrimp, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has also acquired exploratory harvesting permits for Atlantic king crab, a species not harvested commercially now. In this case, however, the experimental work involves more than just harvesting.

Catches of Atlantic king crab, taken earlier in an experimental fishery along the South Coast, have already been test-marketed by J.W. Hiscock Ltd. as a result of a public tender by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. To date, the company has developed a variety of product packs (such as cocktail claws, whole sections and splits), and has test-marketed these products, with very encouraging results.

"In fact, buyers are looking for more," Mr. Efford said.

"Further exploratory harvesting efford to be undertaken by my department will help determine if Atlantic king crab is available in commercial quantities to meet market requirements," he said.

Atlantic king crab, known as stone crab in some areas of the province, is a spiny crab very similar in size to the popular snow crab and is generally found in 100 to 200 fathoms of water.

Mr. Efford said that every underutilized species opportunity must be capitalized on "whether they create five jobs or 50 jobs down the road. These are examples of where the inshore harvesting sector can become more diversified should they result in commercial harvesting and processing activity."

Contact: Josephine Cheeseman, Director of Public Relations, (709) 729-3733.

1996 05 13 1:00 p.m. /md

SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement