Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) Fishery Management in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Québec, Canada

Abstract

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) have been com- mercially harvested in the St. Lawrence estuary (Quebec, Canada) for decades. After a severe crash between 1966 and 1976, this non-regulated fishery recovered, and landings peaked at record level in early 1990s with signs of overexploitation. Annual monitoring was set up in the mid-1990s in conjunction with fishing restrictions. Since then, length size distributions in annual landings has moved in accordance with sturgeon sizes selected by fishermen. Fishermen preferably select sturgeons larger than 105 cm, but this behavior is counterbalanced by decreasing gillnet selectivity over this threshold. Regulation enforcement and fishermen’s compliance has helped to stabilize the landings, and our analyses suggest that Atlantic sturgeon population abundance is increasing and can sustain the fishery. The results from annual monitoring show that management measures are efficient, and that large sturgeons can escape the fishery and contribute to the spawning stock