Proceedings 2016/037

Proceedings of the national peer review of Science Advice on Regional Productivity Benchmarks; September 29 to October 1, 2015

Chairpersons: Keith Clarke and Karen Smokorowski
Editor: Sophie Foster

Summary

These proceedings summarize key discussions that resulted from a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) National Advisory meeting that took place from September 29 to October 1, 2015 in Toronto. The meeting examined the feasibility of using regional benchmarks of fisheries productivity for the Fisheries Protection Program. Regional benchmarks of fisheries productivity have the potential to be used in a number of ways including; to estimate targets of potential gains in productivity expected from offsetting; to understand baselines for the purposes of impact assessment in the absence of site-specific data for small-medium impact projects; and to refine estimates of equivalent adults and area per individual for informing decisions about whether or not an authorization is required. The advice builds on past advice that has been provided to support changes to the Fisheries Act. Feasibility was addressed using data and models mainly from freshwater ecosystems, however, some quantitative data from coastal marine areas and an appropriate model framework to determine production derived from coastal ecosystems was presented to initiate discussion of possible application in marine coastal ecosystems. A specific meeting to address marine regional benchmarks is an anticipated next step.  Participants included members of DFO Science Sector, DFO Fisheries Protection Program (FPP); provinces (Ontario) and academia. Two working papers and several additional presentations were reviewed. The conclusions resulting from this review will form the Science Advisory Report which will be made publicly available on the CSAS Science Advisory Schedule. Other publications resulting from this process include two Research Documents, and these Proceedings.

Complete document (PDF, 215 KB)

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