Proceedings 2011/005

Proceedings of the Regional Advisory Process on the Buffalo River Inconnu (Stenodus leucichthys) population, Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories; March 30-31, 2010

Chairperson: Michael Papst

Summary

A Regional Science Advisory Process to assess the status of Buffalo River Inconnu in Great Slave Lake (GSL), NWT, was held in Yellowknife on March 30-31 2010. The purpose of the meeting was to review the current state of knowledge of the Buffalo River Inconnu stock. Five working papers were presented and reviewed at the advisory meeting by participants including a resource user, Great Slave Lake Advisory Committee member, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science and Fisheries Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Manitoba. Participants agreed that the Buffalo River Inconnu stock is currently in a state of greatly reduced abundance. This conclusion was mainly supported by trends in experimental catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data for mature females and all Inconnu collected during spring surveys at the mouth of the Buffalo River. DFO Fisheries Management requested the application of the precautionary approach (PA) framework to Buffalo River Inconnu which was reviewed at the meeting. Based on CPUE data, tagging experiments, and trend analysis of harvests, the participants agreed to a limit reference point of 10,000 kg (annual removal rate for the west basin of GSL). Specific uncertainty levels around this limit reference point were also suggested. The upper stock reference point was proposed at 40,000 kg (annual removal rate for the west basin of GSL), based on the assumption that other influential factors like habitat quality, environmental carrying capacity and fish health have remained constant over time. These factors were identified as important information gaps in the present assessment of the Buffalo River Inconnu stock, together with uncertainties in Inconnu stocks discrimination in GSL. Future research and monitoring priorities for the assessment of Buffalo River Inconnu were discussed in the meeting and are presented herein. A range of management strategies and uncertainties determined by committee members are also presented.

This Proceedings report summarizes the relevant discussions and presents the key conclusions reached at the meeting. Additional publications, including a science advisory report and research documents, from this process will be posted as they become available on the DFO Science Advisory Schedule.

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