Terms of Reference

2015 Stock Status Update for 4VWX5 Cusk

Regional Science Response Process – Maritimes Region

December 7, 2015
Dartmouth, NS

Chairperson: Lottie Bennett

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 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). 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 of the Species at Risk Act. A methodology for identifying reference points for the species was accepted in February 2012 (Harris et al., 2012), with the stock’s status in relation to the reference points subsequently being reviewed in December 2014 as a stock status update for Cusk in NAFO Divisions 4VWX5Z (DFO, 2015). In February 2014, DFO updated its RPA for Cusk (DFO, 2014). This stock status update for Cusk is intended to review the stock’s status in relation to established 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

• Science Response

Participation

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

DFO. 2015. Stock Status Update of Cusk (Brosme brosme) in NAFO Divisions 4VWX5Z Under the Precautionary Approach Framework. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Resp. 2015/005.

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.