Terms of Reference

Reviews of stock assessments for outside stocks of lingcod and inside stocks of yelloweye rockfish in British Columbia

Pacific Regional Science Advisory Process

7th and 8th April, 2011
Nanaimo, British Columbia

Chairperson: Andrew Edwards

Lingcod (7th April)

Context

There are currently commercial and recreational fisheries for lingcod in outside waters along the coast of British Columbia.  The last assessment for lingcod in outside waters was completed in 2000.

The purpose of the assessment is to provide updated science advice for outside lingcod stocks in British Columbia.  These outside lingcod stocks are assessed and managed as four separate areas based on Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Statistical Areas: 3C, 3D, 5AB and 5CDE.  Outside stocks were last assessed at being at a moderate level of abundance, and currently support commercial fisheries using trawl and longline gear, as well as recreational fisheries.

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has requested updated advice on the status of the lingcod stock in outside waters.  Advice will be given in the context of DFO’s new Fishery Decision-making Framework Incorporating the Precautionary Approach (DFO 2009).

Objectives

Guided by the DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework, particularly the Fishery Decision-making Framework Incorporating the Precautionary Approach (DFO 2009), meeting participants will review this working paper:

Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) stock assessment and yield advice for outside stocks in British Columbia.  J.R. King, M. McAllister, K.R. Holt and P.J. Starr. CSAP Working Paper 2010/P03.

to meet the following objectives:

• Recommend a Limit Reference Point, an Upper Stock Reference, Target Reference Point and Removal Reference for the outside population of lingcod;
• Assess the status of the outside stock of lingcod relative to the recommended reference points;
• Provide rationale for the recommended candidate reference points if they differ from the Precautionary Approach default reference points;
• Evaluate the consequences of varying harvest levels on future population trends.

Yelloweye Rockfish (8th April)

Context

Declines of inshore rockfish catch indices, particularly within the Strait of Georgia, were first reported early in the commercial fishery. Inshore rockfish assessments throughout the 1990s identified numerous symptoms of stock decline, yet data sources were insufficient to set sustainable total allowable catches.  Recommendations to manage rockfish across all fishery sectors and institute spatial management measures to protect a portion of the inshore rockfish population led to the development and implementation of the Rockfish Conservation Strategy (RCS) in 1999.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada initiated action on the RCS in consultation with industry, First Nations, and the general public.  The RCS articulated four key objectives: account for all inshore rockfish catch; decrease fishing mortality; establish rockfish protection areas; and improve stock monitoring and assessment.

In 2006 the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) requested and received from DFO a report summarizing the biology, life history, catch history and trends in yelloweye rockfish abundance. In November 2008, COSEWIC reviewed this report and designated the species (both the inside and the outside populations) as Species of Special Concern. Yelloweye rockfish were last assessed by DFO Science in 2001.

In support of continued implementation of the RCS and management of those fisheries where targeted and non-targeted catch of yelloweye rockfish occurs, Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Branch has requested an assessment of resource status.

A previous version of the working paper was reviewed at the Pacific Regional Advisory Process meeting in September 2010.  Major revisions were requested.  The main outcome of that review is that the model that includes pinniped predation will not be used to formulate advice. 

Objectives

Meeting participants will review the following working paper:

Stock Assessment for the inside population of yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) in British Columbia, Canada for 2010.  K.L. Yamanaka, M.K. McAllister, M.-P. Etienne, S. Obradovich and R. Haigh.  CSAP Working Paper 2010/P06.

Participants will determine whether the revisions to the original version are acceptable..  They will also determine whether the revised version meets the following original objectives:

Guided by the DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework, particularly the Fishery Decision-making Framework Incorporating the Precautionary Approach (DFO 2009), the following objectives for the assessment have been established:

• Recommend a Limit Reference Point, an Upper Stock Reference, Target Reference Point and Removal Reference for the inside population of yelloweye rockfish;
• Assess the status of the inside stock of yelloweye rockfish relative to the recommended reference points;
• Provide rationale for the recommended candidate reference points if they differ from the Precautionary Approach default reference points;
• Evaluate the consequences of varying harvest levels on future population trends.

Expected Publications

CSAS Science Advisory Report (2)
CSAS Research Document (2)
CSAS Proceedings (1)

Participation

DFO Science, Oceans, Habitat and Species at Risk, Aboriginal Communities, Province of BC, External Reviewers, Industry, Non-governmental organizations and Other Stakeholders will be invited to participate in this meeting.

References Cited

DFO. 2009.  A fishery decision-making framework incorporating the Precautionary Approach.   http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/reports-rapports/regs/sff-cpd/precaution-back-fiche-eng.htm.