Proceedings 2020/024

Proceedings for the regional peer-review meeting on Science Advice on Limit Reference Points for Northern Shrimp, Pandalus borealis, and Striped Shrimp, Pandalus montagui, in the Western and Eastern Assessment Zones; May 12–13, 2020

Chairperson: David Boguski

Editors: Jessica Mai and Chelsey Lumb

Summary

A Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) regional peer-review meeting was held on May 12–13, 2020 via Teleconference/WebEx to establish Limit Reference Points (LRPs) for the Precautionary Approach (PA) framework for the Western Assessment Zone (WAZ) and Eastern Assessment Zone (EAZ) Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and Striped Shrimp (Pandalus montagui) fisheries. The objectives of the meeting were to establish new LRPs for Northern and Striped shrimp in the WAZ, update existing LRPs for Northern and Striped shrimp in the EAZ, and propose Upper Stock Reference points (USRs) for both fisheries in the WAZ and EAZ. LRPs are established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science sector and are reference points required by DFO Resource Management to establish the USRs and the harvest control rules (HCRs) in consultation with Science, co-management partners, provincial and territorial governments, and industry.

The existing LRPs for the EAZ are based on 30% of the mean spawning stock biomass (SSB) index for Northern and Striped shrimp. LRPs for the WAZ have not been previously established due to changes in survey conditions, which reset the data series. Discussions during the meeting focused on establishing LRPs in the WAZ and updating the LRPs in the EAZ. Discussions emphasized the relatively short time series of data currently available, fluctuations in stock biomass, recovery potential, and a lack of environmental and biological data contributing to the understanding of shrimp productivity. These factors, in concert with guidance from DFO’s PA policy, support the use of LRPs of 40% of the mean SSB for the EAZ and WAZ and provide a more precautionary approach to support sustainability based on the best available scientific information.

The meeting included participants from regional and national DFO Science and Resource Management sectors, Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, and Concordia University. This report summarizes the relevant discussions from the meeting and presents recommended revisions to be made to the associated research document. The Proceedings, Research Document, and Science Advisory Report (SAR) resulting from this science advisory meeting will be published on the DFO Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) website.

Proceedings 2020/024 (PDF, 433 KB)

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