Terms of Reference

4VWX5 Cusk Stock Status Update

Regional Science Response Process – Maritimes Region

December 12, 2014
Dartmouth, NS

Chairperson: Andrew Newbould

Context

Commercial fishery catch rates for Cusk (Brosme brosme) have declined since the 1980s. The species continues to be caught as bycatch in certain directed fisheries, although there are presently no surveys dedicated to sampling Cusk to estimate its stock abundance or biomass. In 2003, Cusk was assessed as Threatened by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and in February Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) undertook a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) on the species (DFO, 2008). A methodology for identifying reference points for the species was accepted in February 2012 (Harris et al., 2012), and the stock’s status in relation to the reference points was subsequently reviewed in December 2013 as a stock status update for Cusk in NAFO Divisions 4VWX5Z (DFO, 2014a). In November 2012, Cusk was reassessed as Endangered by COSEWIC although, in 2013, the Governor in Council decided not to add Cusk to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk set out in Schedule 1 Species at Risk Act (SARA). In February 2014, DFO updated its RPA for Cusk (DFO, 2014b). This stock status update for Cusk is intended to review the stock’s status in relation to its reference points.

Objectives

The objective of this update is to identify the three-year geometric mean of the Cusk catch per unit effort from the DFO-Industry longline survey relative to the upper stock reference (26.6 kg/1000 hooks) and the limit reference point (13.3 kg/1000 hooks).

Expected Publication

• CSAS Science Response

Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science
• DFO Resource Management  

References

DFO. 2008. Recovery Potential Assessment for Cusk (Brosme brosme). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2008/024.

DFO. 2014a. Stock Status Update of Cusk (Brosme brosme) in NAFO Divisions 4VWX5Z Under the Precautionary Approach Framework. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Resp. 2014/019.

DFO. 2014b. Update to the Recovery Potential for Cusk in Canadian Waters. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2014/048.

Harris, L.E., Somers, G., and Clark, D.S. 2012. Reference Points for Cusk (Brosme brosme) in NAFO Divisions 4VWX5Z Under the Precautionary Approach Framework. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2012/026: iii + 10 p.