Terms of Reference

Stock-wide Assessment Framework for American Eel: Part 1 - Review of available data

National Peer Review – National Capital Region

May 15-16, 2019
Ottawa, ON

Co-Chairs: Deborah Austin and Martin Castonguay

Context

The American Eel is believed to form a single panmictic stock over a continental range which extends from Greenland to northern South America. Because of its presumed status as a single stock, a previous CSAS review (DFO 2014) and many other Canadian, US, and international forums have called for a stock assessment that would embrace the entire species range. However, science and management of the American Eel remains geographically fragmented. Within Canada, the American Eel is widely distributed over the six eastern provinces. The population production of American Eel has high cultural significance for First Nations and is subject to commercial fisheries with an approximate value of $25M per annum. The stock status of American Eel in Canada was first evaluated by COSEWIC (2012) as Threatened. A subsequent Recovery Potential Assessment (DFO 2014) showed a preponderance of decreasing population trends over 32 years.  The stock status of American Eel of the Maritimes Region component has recently been evaluated against mortality-based reference points in a quantitative assessment (DFO in prep.). Quantitative US assessments (ASMFC 2012, 2017) cover only those parts of US Atlantic waters that are commercially fished. These sources are insufficient to provide robust advice on conservation of American Eel in Canada because available abundance trend compilations are not up to date and because available quantitative assessments cover only limited portions of the species range.

There are ongoing pressures on DFO Science to provide robust advice on the stock status and conservation of American Eel within Canada. In the immediate term, information/advice is needed by both DFO and provincial (Ontario, Quebec) authorities to assist decision-making in fisheries management, habitat management, SARA designation, CITES response, and compliance with Bill C-68, which will mandate evidence-based management measures that ensure the sustainability of fish stocks. In the long term, robust conservation advice will require progress towards a range-wide assessment that provides guidance appropriate to the species' single-stock status.

Objective

1. Compile American Eel landings, abundance indicators, and biological/demographic parameters in Canada and elsewhere in the species range. Compile metadata on the Canadian abundance series, with emphasis on standards, methods and measures to ensure data quality.  
2. Provide a peer review of compiled data, with emphasis on the Canadian abundance series of American Eel,  and make decisions on datasets which are potentially able to support data requirements for full or data-limited quantitative assessments based on data quality.
3. Review potential sources of data, which have not been collected and compiled, but significantly pertinent to the development of range-wide American Eel assessments.

Expected Publications

• Proceedings
• Canadian Data Report or Technical Report

Expected Participation

• DFO Science representatives from NL, MAR, Gulf, QC, Central, and NHQ
• DFO representatives from Fisheries Management and other DFO sectors (e.g., SARA, FPP).
• Science representatives from the Governments of Ontario and Quebec.
• US federal and state governments.
• Indigenous community representatives with relevant knowledge to share.
• Industry representatives, 1 representative from the elver, adult eel and processing sectors.
• American Eel experts from academia and the public sector.

References

ASMFC. 2012. American Eel benchmark stock assessment.  Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Washington.

ASMFC. 2017. 2017 American Eel stock assessment update. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Washington.

Cairns, D.K. 2017a. A review of data availability and analytic approaches for a range-wide assessment of the American Eel. Working Paper for the American Eel Science Framework for Canada. 42 pp.

Cairns, D.K. 2017b. Governance models for collaborative international science and management of American Eels. Working Paper for the American Eel Science Framework for Canada. 25 pp.

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.

DFO. In preparation. Assessment of the Maritimes Region American Eel and elver fisheries. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep.

DFO. 2014. Recovery potential assessment of American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) in eastern Canada. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2013/078.