Canada Scotia-Fundy haddock
MSC status
Certified as sustainable on 22nd October 2010
Summary
Species: Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)
Location: The Canadian fishery for haddock is carried out in three sea areas that
are defined by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) as
4X/5Y and 5Z; denominated respectively as the Southern Scotian Shelf /
Bay of Fundy / the Gulf of Maine (4X5Y) and Georges Bank (5Z). The
fishery takes place in FAO Statistical Area 21.
Fishing methods: Otter Trawl, Hook & Line, Gill Net, Hand Line
Number of fisheries: 1
More about haddock
The haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is a member of the cod family (Gadidae), found in the northwest and northeast Atlantic Ocean. They occupy bottom habitats with substrate composed of pebble-gravel, broken ground and sand and are most common at 40 m to 150 m depths, but seem to prefer depths shallower than 100m where temperatures range from 0° - 10°c.
Haddock mainly prey upon bottom dwelling invertebrates including gastropod and bivalve molluscs, polychaete worms, amphipods, crabs, shrimps, sea stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and brittle stars, although adults will occasionally consume fish eggs and small fishes such as herring.
More about the fishing methods
The Canadian fishery for haddock has been conducted primarily by vessels using otter trawls and bottom longlines, with a few handlines and gillnets. Hook size, mesh sizes and net construction are regulated by license conditions to meet individual fisheries conservation objectives such as minimum fish size and escapement of incidental catch.
Otter trawling derives its name from the rectangular otter boards that are used to keep the mouth of the trawl net open. The otter boards are made of timber or steel. They are positioned in such a way that the hydro-dynamic forces that act when the net is towed along the seabed push these outwards, so preventing the mouth of the net from closing. The net is held open vertically by floats attached to the "headline" (the rope which runs along the upper mouth of the net), and rubber disks, sometimes called “cookies”" attached to the "foot rope" (the rope which runs along the lower mouth of the net). The trawls are mainly constructed of polyethylene netting.
Longline fishing uses a long line, called the main line, with baited hooks attached at intervals by means of branch lines called "snoods". A snood is a short length of line that is attached to the main line using a clip or swivel, with the hook at the other end. Vessels carry a number of “tubs” of long lines with the number and configuration varying between vessel size and sea area fished.
Gill net license holders are restricted to 40 nets with an overall length no greater than 50 fathoms (91.4 m). The net is made of polyethylene and mesh size is restricted to a minimum of 140 mm. It is anchored to the bottom and marked by surface buoys. In 5Zjm gill nets must be tended.
Hand lines are usually hauled by hand, although in some fisheries automatic reels have been tested.
Management measures in 4X5Y include mesh-size restrictions on trawl (130-mm square mesh) and gillnet (5½" gear), hook-size (12 mm gape) restrictions on bottom-longline.
Fishery tonnage
In 2009, catch was approximately 26,000 metric tonnes.
Commercial market
The main markets are for fresh and frozen product in Canada, the U.S. and the EU.
Actual eligibility date
22nd October 2010
