Research Document - 1999/013
Newfoundland East and Southeast Coast Herring - An Assessment of Stocks to the Spring of 1998.
By J.P. Wheeler, B. Squires and P. Williams
Abstract
Results of analysis of data from 1996 to the spring of 1998 are presented for herring stocks along the east and southeast coasts of Newfoundland. Commercial landings in 1996 (2500 t) were lower than in 1995 (4600 t) due to reduced quotas and poor market conditions. Landings in 1997 increased to 7900 t, due to increased quotas, which were the result of more optimistic projections in the 1996 stock assessment. Spring spawners of the 1990 and 1991 year classes continued to dominate in the 1996 and 1997 fisheries, in most areas. There was little or no evidence of recruitment of younger year classes. Five series of abundance indices were available for the assessment, research gill net catch rates and acoustic survey biomass estimates extending back to the early 1980's, and commercial gill net catch rates, gill net fisher observations, and purse seine fisher observations commencing in 1996. Stock abundance's were estimated from integrated catch at age analysis for three of four stock areas and from a research gill net catchability analysis for the remaining area. A retrospective analysis and a risk analysis was calculated for each of the stocks. The status of each stock was defined by a stock status classification system based upon environmentally dependent stock-recruit relationships. The status of the White Bay - Notre Dame Bay stock was classified as poor to moderate. The Bonavista Bay - Trinity Bay and St. Mary's Bay - Placentia Bay stocks were classified as moderate to good, and the Fortune Bay stock was classified as good to very good.
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