The assessment of the northern shrimp stock is in, and there are some changes.

Fishing Area 4 off Labrador remains healthy but Area 5 off southern Labrador moves out of the healthy zone and into the cautious category. Area 6 on the northeast Newfoundland Shelf remains at the critical stage.

Various factors suggest that the ecosystem is changing, which is likely having an impact on the stock.

The ocean is currently in a warm phase, and it has been changing for the past six years. It’s a situation which scientists suggest has likely contributed to improved conditions that have been observed at the lower levels of the food chain .

The Newfoundland/Labrador bioregion continues to experience overall low productivity conditions, with total biomass of about 54,000 tonnes well below pre-collapse levels of the late 1980s.

The department will hold advisory meetings in the coming weeks.