Terms of Reference

Zonal Advisory Meeting

Recovery Potential Assessment of Roundnose Grenadier

February 11, 2010
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Center
St. John's, NL

Chairperson: Kim Houston

Background

In November 2008, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) designated the Roundnose Grenadier as Endangered. Their designation was based on the survey data indices of adult numbers showing declines of 98% from 1978 to 1994 with a further decline from 1995 to 2003. The species is long-lived (60 yr) and matures late (around 10 yr) which makes it susceptible to human-caused mortality. Commercial catches were high in the 1960s and 1970s but have since declined, although harvest still occurs.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science has been asked to undertake a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) for the Roundnose Grenadier. DFO Science developed the RPA framework to provide the information and scientific advice required for the Department to meet various requirements of the SARA including listing decisions, authorizations to carry out activities that would otherwise violate the SARA and development of recovery strategies. The advice in the RPA may be used to inform both scientific and socioeconomic elements of the listing decision, as well as development of a recovery strategy and action plan, and to support decision-making with regards to the issuance of permits, agreements and related conditions, as per section 73, 74, 75, 77 and 78 of SARA.

This advisory meeting is being held to assess the recovery potential of Roundnose Grenadier. The resulting RPA Science Advisory Report will summarize the current understanding of the distribution, abundance and trend of this species in the Atlantic and Arctic zones, along with recovery targets and times to recovery while considering various management scenarios. The current state of knowledge about habitat requirements, threats to both habitat and Roundnose Grenadier, and measures to mitigate these impacts, will also be included in the SAR.

Objectives

The intent of this meeting is to assess the recovery potential of the Roundnose Grenadier. It is a science-based peer review of the designatable unit assigned by COSEWIC and the 17 steps in the RPA framework outlined in the Summary section of the Revised Protocol for Conducting Recovery Potential Assessments. The advice will be provided to the DFO Minister for her consideration in meeting various requirements of SARA for this species.

Products

CSAS Science Advisory Report
CSAS Proceedings of meeting
CSAS Research Document (based on submitted working papers)

Participants

• Department of Fisheries and Oceans
• Other Federal Departments
• Provincial Governments
• Industry representatives
• Aboriginal groups
• Academia
• ENGOs

References

COSEWIC. 2008.  COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Roundnose Grenadier Coryphaenoides rupestris in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 42 pp.

DFO. 2005. A Framework for Developing Science Advice on Recovery Targets for Aquatic Species in the Context of the Species At Risk Act. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2005/054.

DFO. 2007a. Revised Protocol for Conducting Recovery Potential Assessments. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2007/039

DFO. 2007b. Documenting habitat use of species at risk and quantifying habitat quality. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2007/038.

Shelton, P.A., B. Best, A. Cass, C. Cyr, D. Duplisea, J. Gibson, M. Hammill, S. Khwaja, M. Koops, K. Martin, B. O’Boyle, J. Rice, A. Sinclair, K. Smedbol, D. Swain, L. Velez-Espino and C. Wood, 2007. Assessing recovery potential: long-term projections and their implications for socio-economic analysis. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2007/045.