Science Advisory Report 2009/080
Summary of the stock assessment and quota options for the green sea urchin, (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis), fishery in British Columbia, 2010-2013
Summary
- Green sea urchins remain a small but important part of the British Columbia dive fisheries.
- Overall, green urchin populations in their two major fishing regions of British Columbia (Northeast Vancouver Island and Southeast Vancouver Island) appear to be under low fishing pressure. The catch per unit of effort has been steadily increasing since 1993-94 and is now at its highest level in the 22 year history of the fishery.
- Total landings and landed value decreased by approximately 50% each fishing season from 2003-04 (167 t, worth Cdn$0.725 million) to the lowest values in 2006-07 (22 t, worth Cdn$0.073 million; preliminary data). Although there was a 3-fold increase in landings and landed value from 2006-07 to 2007-08, and another slight increase in 2008-09, the last five fishing seasons were historically the lowest on record. This was a result of poor market prices in Japan, due to competition from Russia.
- A series of quota options [target reference points expressed as reductions from the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) limit reference point] are provided for each fishery management area, along with the associated levels of probability that they may be equal to or greater than the true MSY.
- Quotas established at their current (2009-10) levels (177.3 t in Northeast Vancouver Island; 25.5 t in Southeast Vancouver Island) would represent low probabilities of being equal to or greater than the true MSY (4.0% in Northeast Vancouver Island; 0.4% in Southeast Vancouver Island).
Accessibility Notice
This document is available in PDF format. If the document is not accessible to you, please contact the Secretariat to obtain another appropriate format, such as regular print, large print, Braille or audio version.
- Date modified: