Aquaculture 2025

March 6 - 10, 2025

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Add To Calendar 08/03/2025 13:45:0008/03/2025 14:05:00America/ChicagoAquaculture 2025DYNAMIC SHIFTS AND A DRASTIC DECLINE IN REPORTED LANDINGS FOR THE SOUTHERN GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE COMMERCIAL CLAM FISHERY OVER THE PAST TWO DECADESGalerie 4The World Aquaculture Societyjohnc@was.orgfalseDD/MM/YYYYanrl65yqlzh3g1q0dme13067

DYNAMIC SHIFTS AND A DRASTIC DECLINE IN REPORTED LANDINGS FOR THE SOUTHERN GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE COMMERCIAL CLAM FISHERY OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES

Jeff C. Clements*

 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Gulf Fisheries Centre
Moncton, NB, Canada
jeffery.clements@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

 



Clams constitute an important socioeconomic and Indigenous resource in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL); however, detailed analyses of the commercial fishery are outdated. Using landings data, I provide a synthesis of the sGSL clam fishery from 2003-2022. Three species comprised >99% of total landings: Mya arenaria, Mercenaria mercenaria, and Spisula solidissima. Annual landings mostly came from Prince Edward Island (75 ± 7%), followed by New Brunswick (23 ± 6%) and Nova Scotia (2 ± 2%). For the sGSL as a whole, the three species contributed equally to landings from 2003-2020, but M. arenaria dominated landings from 2021-2022. This trend was not consistent when provinces were considered individually: province-specific fluctuations in species composition and a contemporary shift from multi-species to single-species harvests were apparent. Overall, landings and their associated value have sharply declined by 80% and 66%, respectively, over the time series. The number of catch records also declined by 80%, suggesting progressively fewer people engaging in the fishery. Annual catch records were a strong predictor of annual landings, and declines in landings per catch record (proxy of catch per unit effort) were evident. This analysis ultimately suggests a dying Canadian fishery. Understanding the proximate causes of fishery declines, how to address them, and determining whether such declines reflect population trends, should be prioritized to revive and save the sGSL clam fishery.