Research Document - 2013/098
Assessment of the Potential for Recovery of Smooth Skate (Malacoraja senta Garman 1885) in the Funk Island Deep Designatable Unit
By Simpson, M.R., Miri, C.M., Mello, L.G.S., Collins, R.K., and Bailey, J.A.
Abstract
Decline in abundance and reduction in the extent of distribution have been observed in several Smooth Skate (Malacoraja senta Garman 1885) populations inhabiting Canadian waters, despite the absence of directed commercial fisheries for this species. The main concentration was centered in NAFO Div. 2J3K, in Funk Island Deep designatable unit (DU), until the 1980s, when it experienced a substantial and protracted decline in area of occupancy, as well as abundance of both juveniles and adults. Consequently, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has recommended that the Funk Island Deep population be designated as Endangered, As a result, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has initiated a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) of the Funk Island Deep DU under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA), to be used in formulating and evaluating conservation and management strategies for this species in terms of risk of extinction. This document provides updates in survey indices and commercial removals of Smooth Skate in the Funk Island Deep DU, and employs a Bayesian surplus production model to project population response to differing levels of fishing mortality (F) over varying time periods.
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