Research Document - 2010/135

Improving the Management of Atlantic Seals under the Precautionary Approach

By G.B. Stenson and M.O. Hammill

Abstract

Adopted in 2003, the Atlantic Seal Management Strategy, formerly referred to as Objective Based Fisheries Management (OBFM), was the first plan to incorporate a precautionary approach in the management of marine species in Canada. It provides a framework that identifies precautionary and critical reference limits which define healthy, cautious and critical zones of abundance, along with management actions that are triggered when thresholds are exceeded to reduce potential damage to the resource. Currently, the precautionary and critical reference levels are defined as 70% and 30% of the maximum population size. To determine if the strategy meets the management objectives within the Precautionary Approach framework, a series of simulations were carried out to test the various components of the current approach.

The impact of any proposed management action can not be identified within the life of the management plan and therefore, management actions should be evaluated over a period of 15-20 years at a minimum. The current approach used estimates of total population to assess the status of the population with respect to the reference levels. While pup production estimates are a more direct measure of abundance, they are carried out periodically and respond slowly to environmental changes or harvest levels that affect young seals. Model estimates of total abundance provide a more responsive measure of current population status, recognizing that the estimates are uncertain and must be updated when new survey estimates are available. Although more simulations are required to determine the most appropriate precautionary level and precision requirement, the current approach (N70 and L20) do not appear to be overly cautious. The current management plan allows for a carry over of 10% of the unused quota between years within a 5 year management plan. Increasing the amount of carry over to 20% is unlikely to have an impact on the population assuming the average removal remains the same over the life of the management plan.

Key words: Atlantic seals, precautionary approach, sustainable management, hunt, quota, reference levels

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