Terms of Reference

Management procedures for the multi-gear sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) fishery in British Columbia

Pacific Regional Science Advisory Process

January 17, 2011
Nanaimo, British Columbia

Chairperson: Greg Workman

Context

A directed longline trap and longline hook commercial fishery exists for sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) off Canada's Pacific coast. However, sablefish are also intercepted by non-directed groundfish fisheries including other longline hook and trawl fisheries. Sablefish enter the commercial fisheries at a few years of age, but are released by regulation when measuring less than 55cm fork length. There is a need to evaluate the potential impacts of post-release mortality on the achievement of fishery objectives when developing an action plan for the 2011/12 season.

In 2008, a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) approach was developed for sablefish assessment and management in British Columbia and was reviewed through a Canadian Science Advisory process. MSE outputs can be used to (i) inform decisions about a long-term harvest strategy, (ii) evaluate the likely trade-offs among conservation, yield and inter-annual variability in yield, and (iii) provide a consistent procedure for determining annual harvest advice.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Management has requested advice from Science to inform planning for the 2011/12 fishing year that incorporates the consequences of release mortality on the sablefish stock. The advice should update the MSE approach to reflect new fishery policy objectives that were not considered in the previous analysis. This evaluation should consider the effects of a full retention option for sablefish, i.e., removal of the current size limit. It is expected that advice will be compliant with both the “DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework” (SFF) policy and “A fishery decision-making framework incorporating the Precautionary Approach” (PA) policy.

Objectives

This Regional Advisory Process (RAP) will review the following working paper:

Cox, S.P., Kronlund,A.R., and Lacko, L. Management procedures for the multi-gear sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) fishery in British Columbia, Canada. CSAP Working Paper P2010-05.

The advice is expected to include:

1. Advice for sablefish that uses MSY-based fishery reference points and a harvest control rule in compliance with the Sustainable Fisheries Framework (DFO 2009);
2. Consideration of all sources of removals including releases;
3. Evaluation of whether mortality attributable to at-sea releases across all fishery sectors compromises the achievement of fishery objectives;
4. Evaluation of the impacts of potential future management measures such as full retention or avoidance, and
5. Recommendations on the requirement to continue two fishery-independent trap gear surveys for the purposes of providing harvest advice.

Expected Publications

CSAS Science Advisory Report (1)
CSAS Research Document (1)
CSAS Proceedings

Participation

Participants (approx. 25) will include authors, reviewers, internal DFO representatives and invitees from academia, First Nations, NGO’s and industry.

References Cited

DFO. 2009. A fishery decision-making framework incorporating the Precautionary Approach.