Terms of Reference

Unit 1+2 Redfish Management Strategy Evaluation

Regional Peer Review – Quebec Region

April 25-26, 2018
Mont-Joli, QC

Chairperson: Hugues Benoit

Context

The Unit 1+2 redfish fishery targets two species, the Acadian Redfish (Sebastes fasciatus) and Deepwater Redfish (Sebastes mentella), both slow-growing and long-lived livebearing groundfish that are very similar in appearance. Landings data represent aggregate catch and survey sampling (using primarily fin ray counts, or genetic analyses) are currently used to differentiate the catch by species. Recruitment is spasmodic, with long periods of low recruitment interspersed with periods of strong year classes that may support the fishery for many years.

The redfish fishery began in the 1950s and experienced three periods of high exploitation (1954-1956, 1965-1976, and 1987-1992), using both bottom and midwater trawls. In 1993-1994, landings declined considerably. In 1993 the fishery was also divided into management Units 1, 2 and 3 with Units 1 and 2 considered to comprise the same stock and with initial TACs of 60,000 t and 28,000 t respectively. Unit 1 was placed under moratorium in 1995, with an index fishery permitted since 1998 (currently 2,000 t). Unit 2 continued to support a commercial fishery, with a TAC of 8,500 t since 2010. An assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2010) identified S. mentella in Units 1+2 as endangered, and S. fasciatus as threatened. More recently, survey data indicate the presence of three strong year classes (2011-2013, largely S. mentella) that are expected to recruit to the fishery in 2018-2020 (DFO 2016).

Following the COSEWIC Assessment, limit reference points (LRP) were established for various Canadian managed redfish stocks in 2011, placing Unit 1+2 redfish stocks in the critical zone of the precautionary approach framework (DFO 2012). These reference points were derived from a state-space Bayesian implementation of the Schaefer surplus production model (McAllister and Duplisea 2011, 2012) which did not take into account available length composition data. It was therefore agreed that other approaches would be considered in the future to develop a more accurate population dynamics model (DFO 2012). However, the failure to adopt an assessment model for redfish in 2015 (DFO 2017) and recent doubts cast on the veracity of historical catch statistics (Duplisea 2016) provided the impetus for embarking on a Management Strategy Evaluation approach in 2016-2018. The best model approach (DFO 2017) does not seem to be a reconcilable way forward under the current circumstances and given uncertainty in redfish biology, data problems including important errors in catch reporting, highly variable recruitment dynamics of redfish as well as varied and possibly conflicting objectives in the stakeholder group.

In this meeting, operating models will be presented for the two redfish stocks in this area and management procedures including harvest control rules will be tested via simulation of operating models against stakeholder objectives determined from previous meetings. A ranked set of acceptable management procedures for the fishery should result from the present process.

Objective

The overall objective of this peer review meeting is to review the operating models, harvest control rules and simulated management procedures for the Unit 1+2 Redfish Management Strategy Evaluation, on which Total Allowable Catch (TAC) recommendations will be based. Specifically, the meeting will:

Review the simulation runs of the Management Procedures on a set of core and stress-test Operating Models (OMs) for each species of Redfish for a time period of 40 years (2 generations)
Develop Limit Reference Points and recommended Upper Stock Reference Points for each Redfish species
Evaluate Management Procedures against the objectives, performance metrics and acceptable thresholds established via the Redfish Working Group in 2017-2018, including identifying which Management Procedures are acceptable, and their recommended rank for further consideration.
Evaluate the formulation and parameters of the Harvest Control Rule that will apply to each species of Redfish in the Unit 1+2 Redfish stock
Provide advice on which Management Procedures pass objectives and under which OM assumptions, assuming a global catch limit for Units 1 and 2
Provide advice on on-going information-support requirements and implementation processes with respect to the adoption of Management Procedures and MSE. This includes setting appropriate periods for MSE review and assessment schedules, as well as the development of exceptional circumstances protocols (monitoring of indicators and other events that would trigger an earlier than scheduled assessment)
Identify where to focus future research efforts to provide the greatest improvements to management advice.

Draft working documents will be provided for distribution prior to the meeting.

Expected Publications

Science Advisory Report
Proceedings
Research Document

Expected Participation

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Ecosystems and Oceans Science, Ecosystems and Fisheries Management sectors)
Provincial representatives
Invited external (to DFO) science reviewers
Academics
Aboriginal communities/organizations
Fishing industry representatives
Other invited experts (environmental non-government organizations)