Terms of Reference

Assessment of American Eel in the Maritimes Region

Regional Peer Review – Maritimes Region

September 5-7, 2018
Dartmouth, NS

Chairperson: Jennifer Ford

Context

The American Eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a widely distributed fish that occurs from northern South America to Greenland and Iceland. They are panmictic (all are members of a single population), catadromous (spawn at sea and spend a portion of their lives in freshwater) and semelparous (a single reproductive episode followed by death). Spawning occurs in the Sargasso Sea well to the south of Canadian territorial waters. Juveniles recruit as glass eels (elvers) to Canadian continental waters in the year following the year of their hatch.  In Canada, the American Eel can be found in nearly all the accessible fresh, brackish and coastal waters from the Canada-United States of America border in the south to Lake Melville, Labrador in the north, including the Laurentian Basin of the provinces of Ontario and Québec and the island of Newfoundland. They have historically been fished by indigenous peoples for Food, Social, and Ceremonial purposes, and these fisheries remain culturally important. American Eels have also supported commercial and recreational fisheries throughout much of their Canadian range. The Maritimes Region commercial fishery is the only eel fishery in Canada that results in the removals of eels as recruits (glass eels or elvers), as well as juveniles (yellow eel), and adults (silver).  

The status of the eel and elver fisheries in Maritimes Region was last assessed in 1996 (Jessop 1996a,b). More recently, indices of general status were compiled in support of a national pre-COSEWIC and Recovery Potential Assessment of the American Eel (Bradford 2013; DFO 2014) and to help measure progress towards reducing human-induced mortality by 50 percent (DFO 2010).  The 2012 COSEWIC assessment designated the American Eel as threatened.  They are currently under consideration for listing under the Species at Risk Act (COSEWIC 2012).

In support of the management of American Eel and elver fisheries, DFO Maritimes Fisheries Management has asked DFO Science for an assessment of resource status and the consequences of various harvest levels and strategies. DFO Science determined that a framework review of the assessment information and approach was required to establish the scientific basis for the provision of advice to management. This framework meeting was completed in October 2016 (DFO 2017). An assessment meeting is now being held to develop advice to management using the framework approach.

Assessment of standing stock (i.e., abundance of eels in freshwater ecosystems) will not be included in this meeting; it will be addressed following regional electro-fishing surveys planned for 2019.

Objective

The objectives of this regional peer review are to answer the following questions:

• What trends in stock status and exploitation are seen in the fishery-dependent and fishery-independent time series used to inform status of elver recruitment and fisheries in the Maritimes Region?
• Based on a spawner-per-recruit analysis, what are the recommended reference points for large eels to allow for escapement from fisheries and hydro-electric facilities, and is current mortality within those levels?
• What has been the annual extent of spatial overlap of the large eel and elver fisheries, since 2015?
• What are the recommended F-based reference points for elver fisheries in the Maritimes Region? What is the status of current exploitation relative to the reference points?
• What are the implications for existing management measures in the eel and elver fisheries if these reference points are adopted?
• What is the schedule for future assessments of American Eel, and what will be included in the updates provided between assessments?

On the third day of this meeting, DFO Science is inviting Indigenous communities and organizations to participate in further discussion about what information on American Eel has been collected through science programs, traditional knowledge studies, or other activities run by Indigenous groups in the Maritimes Region, and how these information sources might be incorporated into future Eel stock assessment.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Research Document(s)
• Proceedings

Expected Participation

• DFO Science
• DFO Resource and Aboriginal Fisheries Management
• DFO Policy and Economics
• DFO Fisheries Protection Program
• Indigenous Groups
• Provincial Governments (NS and NB)
• Industry Representatives
• Environmental Non-Government Organizations
• Academics

References

Bradford, R.G. 2013. 2010 Status of American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) in Maritimes Region. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2012/083. iv + 39 p.

COSEWIC. 2012. COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the American Eel Anguilla rostrata in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xii + 109 pp.

DFO. 2010. Status of American Eel and Progress on Achieving Management Goals. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2010/062.

DFO. 2014. DFO. 2014. Recovery Potential Assessment of American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) in Eastern Canada. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2013/078.

DFO. 2017. Proceedings of the Regional Peer Review of the Stock Framework for American Eel (Anguilla rostrate) and Elvers. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Proc. 2017/048.

Jessop, B.M. 1996a. The Status of American Eels Anguilla rostrata in the Scotia-Fundy Area of the Maritime Region as Indicated by Catch and License Statistics. DFO Atl. Fish.Res. Doc. 96/118. 15 p.

Jessop, B.M. 1996b. Review of the American Eel Elver Fisheries in Scotia-Fundy Area, Maritime Region. DFO Atl. Fish. Res. Doc. 96/04. 7 p.