Developing innovative methods for improved scallop har

许多近海渔业公司面临着越来越多的经济挑战，捕鱼作业成本上升，再加上需要实施种群收获战略，以确保鱼类种群的可持续性，同时将捕捞方法对环境的影响降至最低。应对这一商业挑战需要开发创新的鱼类捕捞战略。对于扇贝渔业，一种办法是开发方法，生成海底地图，显示目标物种的预测分布。NSCC将与LBM渔业有限公司(LBM)在这一研究项目中合作，开发和测试在芬迪湾试验区内生成扇贝栖息地预测地图的方法。这类地图的使用将使LBM能够更好地瞄准扇贝栖息地，从而提高捕捞效率(即提高渔获量、减少工作量、最大限度地减少渔具损失)，并将减少渔具底部接触时间，从而提供环境效益(例如，减少渔业的空间足迹、副渔获物和对非目标生境的影响)。将利用测试区现有的多波束回声测定仪数据，结合作为该项目一部分新收集的水下视频数据，测试各种栖息地建模技术。通过定向捕捞作业进行的地图验证将使LBM能够评估这种新方法可以为公司带来的好处。预计该项目将为该区域内的海洋扇贝制定高效和可持续的资源收获战略，并为该公司带来随后的商业和环境效益。项目成果还将与在全湾扇贝协会(地理区域的相应行业协会)下运营的其他渔业公司分享，为在该地区作业的更广泛的近岸渔业提供额外的区域利益。在渔业资源测绘的范围内对这一一般方法进行评价，通过应用这些测绘技术和进一步完善加拿大其他渔业的数据整合方法，为加拿大带来潜在的长期利益。

Many near-shore fishing companies are facing increasing economic challenges with rising costs of fishing operations, coupled with the need to implement stock harvest strategies that ensure the sustainability of fish stocks with minimal environmental impact of fishing methods. Addressing this business challenge requires the development of innovative fish harvesting strategies. For the scallop fishery, one approach is to develop methods for generating maps of the seafloor showing predicted distributions of the targeted species. NSCC will partner with LBM Fisheries Ltd. (LBM) in this research project to develop and test methods for generating predictive maps of scallop habitat within a test area in the Bay of Fundy. The use of such maps will allow LBM to better target scallop habitat thereby increasing fishing efficiency (i.e. improve catches, reduced effort, minimize gear loss) and will reduce the bottom contact time of fishing gear, thus providing environmental benefits (e.g. reduce spatial footprint of the fishery, bycatch, and impact on non-target habitats). A variety of habitat modelling techniques will be tested using existing multibeam echosounder (MBES) data from the test area, in conjunction with newly collected underwater video data collected as part of this project. Map validation through directed fishing operations will allow LBM to assess the benefits that this novel approach can offer the company. It is anticipated that the project will provide the development of efficient and sustainable resource harvesting strategies for sea scallop within the region, with subsequent commercial and environmental benefits provided to the company. Project results will also be shared with other fishing companies operating under the Full Bay Scallop Association (the corresponding industry association for the geographical region), providing additional regional benefits to the wider near-shore fishing industry operating in this area. Evaluation of this general approach within the context of fisheries resource mapping offers potential longer term benefits to Canada through application of these mapping technologies and further refinement of the data integration methodologies for other Canadian fisheries.