Terms of Reference

Pacific Scientific Advice Review Committee (PSARC)

Canadian Assessment of Pacific Hake

Science Special Response Process

March 4, 2009

Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Nanaimo, BC

Chairperson: Greg Workman

Background

Pacific hake is a transboundary stock which is jointly managed by Canada and the U.S.  Annual stock assessment has been coordinated by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), reviewed in the groundfish stock assessment review (STAR) process, providing catch advice to the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC).  Scientists from NMFS have led the stock assessment modeling for many years with the assistance of Canadian scientists.  For the last number of years, the stock assessments were done using the Stock Synthesis (SS2) software package. Two alternative assessment models were developed by Canadian scientists and presented to the STAR panel for review in February, 2008.  The 2008 fishery ran later that usual resulting in delays in assembling Canadian fishery data.  These data were not available for the February, 2009 STAR panel review.  However, results of these assessments will be presented to the PFMC Science and Statistics Committee (SSC) at its meeting on March 8, 2009.  A Science Special Response Process is required for the 2009 hake stock assessment because 1) the late availability of the 2008 Canadian fishery data precluded presentation at the 2009 STAR panel and the PMFC SSC indicated the results could be presented at their meeting.  This resulted in a short time frame for a full review.  2) the methods were reviewed by the STAR panel in 2008, 3) DFO Science is not the final advisory authority for management of the Pacific hake fishery.  The alternative models were updated when the 2008 Canadian fishery data were available and the results of these analyses will be peer reviewed at a meeting coordinated by the CSA, Pacific Region held in Nanaimo, BC on March 4, 2009.  The assessments reviewed on March 5, 2009 are essentially updates of methods reviewed by the 2008 STAR Panel.

Objectives

1. Review the draft working paper, Summary of a Virtual Population Analysis of Pacific Hake, 2009. A. Sinclair, Pacific Biological Station.
2. Review the draft working paper, Assessment and Management advice for Pacific hake in U.S. and Canadian waters in 2009.  Steve Martell, UBC Fisheries Center.
3. Conclude on the utility of the alternative modeling approaches in the 2 working papers.

Products

• CSAS Science Special Response
• CSAS Research document

Location and Date

Participants