Science Response 2013/026
Deepwater Redfish (Sebastes mentella) in NAFO subarea 0: addendum to the recovery potential assessment of Redfish in the northwest Atlantic
Context
In April 2010, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed the Deepwater Redfish/Acadian Redfish complex (Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus) in Canada. COSEWIC subdivided Deepwater Redfish into two Designatable Units (DUs): Northern population and Gulf of St. Lawrence - Laurentian Channel population. The Deepwater Redfish - Northern population is distributed from Baffin Bay south to the Grand Banks corresponding to Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Subareas (SA) 0+2+ Divisions (Div.) 3KLNO. COSEWIC designated the Northern DU as Threatened (COSEWIC 2010).
A species Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) process was developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science to provide the information and scientific advice required to meet the various requirements of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The scientific information is used when analyzing the socio-economic impacts of adding a species to the SARA list as well as during subsequent consultations, where applicable. It serves as advice to the Minister of DFO regarding the listing of a species under the SARA and if listed it is used to support decision making with regard to SARA agreements and permits as well as to support development of recovery strategies.
An RPA for redfish was held in March 2011 (DFO 2011). The available data for assessing the Northern DU trends in abundance came from research surveys conducted in a subset of the Northern DU’s distribution (Div. 2J + 3KLNO). These survey data and commercial catch data from SA 2 and Div. 3KLNO were used for stochastic projections. Data for redfish in SA 0Footnote 1 are limited to recent surveys and bycatch from the commercial Greenland Halibut and shrimp fisheries. There is no history of commercial redfish fishing in SA 0. As a result, data from SA 0 were not considered during the RPA and there is no advice in the RPA specific to SA 0.
Information from the RPA is the basis for developing management scenarios used in the socio-economic analyses to evaluate and consult on impacts of listing decisions. As it was not clear if the advice from the RPA applied to the Northern DU as a whole, the Species at Risk program in Central and Arctic Region requested Science advice on whether the RPA conclusions and advice (DFO 2011) and Limit Reference Points (DFO 2012) for Deepwater Redfish - Northern DU, can be applied to SA 0. If not, what level of harm could be allowed to Deepwater Redfish in SA 0 that would still allow population persistence or recovery?
Due to impending consultations, a Science Response Process was undertaken to address this request.
This Science Response Report results from the Science Response Process of November 6, 2013 on NAFO Subarea 0 Deepwater Redfish (Sebastes mentella): Addendum to the recovery potential assessment of redfish in the northwest Atlantic.
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