Terms of Reference

Assessment of the Atlantic mackerel in subareas 3 and 4

Regional Peer Review - Quebec Region

April 18, 2012
Mont-Joli, QC

Chairperson: Martin Castonguay

Context

In the Maritime Provinces, in Newfoundland and in Quebec (NAFO Subareas 3 and 4), over 15,000 commercial fishermen participate in the Atlantic mackerel fishery. This fishery is made mainly inshore using gillnets, jiggers, handlines, seines and traps. The type of gear used varies according to the region and time of the year. Landings reported by Canadian fishermen have been rather stable and have averaged around 22,000 t per year during the 1980s and 1990s. However, there has been a significant increase since the early 2000s, reaching a record high of 54,621 t in 2005 due to the marked increase in fishing effort by small and large seiners on the east and west coasts of Newfoundland (Divisions 3KL and 4R) and the presence in the population of a very important year-class (1999). Canadian landings of Atlantic mackerel are underestimated because bait fishermen are not required to fill a logbook and there is no dockside monitoring for this fishery. Catches of recreational fishery which occurs during summer months all along the Atlantic coast are not recorded either, and would be in some cases very important. The abundance of the spawning stock of Atlantic mackerel is calculated using data collected from an egg survey which occurs annually in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The last Atlantic mackerel assessment was in 2010 and was made jointly with the United States during a Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee meeting. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Branch has requested a scientific advice on Canadian waters Atlantic mackerel for the 2012 and 2013 fishing seasons. The objective of the review is to determine whether changes that have occurred in the stock status necessitate adjustments to management plans based on the conservation approach used.

Objectives

Provide a scientific advice on the management of the Atlantic mackerel in NAFO Subareas 3 and 4 (Canada’s east coast) for the 2012 and 2013 fishing seasons. This advice will include:

• An assessment of the status of Atlantic mackerel, based on:
  • an analysis of the commercial fishery statistics following the 2010 and 2011 seasons (overall distribution of landings, breakdown by country, province, division, and fishing gear, etc…);
  • an analysis of the by-catches from the research groundfish surveys conducted on the Scotian Shelf;
  • a discussion on the quality of the fishery statistics and a review of the main sources of uncertainty;
  • an analysis of the biological data collected in the main port of landings by port samplers or at sea by observers (size structure and calculation of the most important biological indicators);
  • the results of the most recent egg surveys in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the western coast of Newfoundland and, in the case of the Larocque Scientific Program, of the survey on the Scotian Shelf and the southern coast of Newfoundland in 2009;
  • the results of a separable VPA based on the Canadian catch at the age and the incorporation of the egg survey in an analytical assessment (ICA European model).
• Specific elements related to the update of the relevant data to the management of Atlantic mackerel such as:
  • comments from the Industry;
  • Atlantic advisory committee, sharing of the resources and the next Integrated Management Plan.
• The identification and prioritization of research projects to be considered for the future.
• Identification of indicators to follow the status of Atlantic mackerel during the years without a formal stock assessment.
• Perspectives and/or recommendations for 2012 and 2013 based on available data.

Expected Publications

• 1 Science Advisory Report
• 1 Proceedings
• 6 Research Documents

Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science and Fisheries Management (Gulf, Quebec, Maritimes, and Newfoundland)
• Province
• Aboriginal communities
• Fishing industry