Research Document - 2006/021
Definition and application of conservation requirements for the management of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fisheries in eastern Canada
By Chaput, G.
Abstract
The following document provides a review of the concepts of reference points and how these relate and have been applied to the management of Atlantic salmon. Atlantic salmon are managed using conservation limits defined as an egg deposition rate. Conservation egg requirements have been defined for rivers and management zones of insular Newfoundland, the Maritime provinces, and Québec; the exceptions being Labrador and some acid rain impacted rivers on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. There are some variations in the rate used and the life stage being optimized among the management regions of eastern Canada. A fixed escapement strategy has been chosen for the management of Atlantic salmon fisheries. The conservation limits presently used in eastern Canada are based on data which date several decades. Survivals in both fresh water and at sea today are likely lower in most of the range of Atlantic salmon than during the time period when the data used to develop the reference points were collected. The risk is therefore not that the advice would be to allow fisheries on stocks that are below their conservation limits but rather that the expectations for recovery will be overly optimistic.
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