Origin of Herring Harvested in the Gaspé Peninsula, Along the North Shore (4S) and in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (4T)

Description

A key goal of stock conservation is to maintain the diversity of stock units (subpopulations) that reproduce in different areas under different environmental conditions. Managing Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) stocks in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence is a major challenge since the commercial fishery covers areas with a mixture of subpopulations each with a different origin and harvesting level. Significant ecosystem changes have taken place in the Gulf in recent decades, some of which may have affected the abundance and distribution of various units including spring spawners in NAFO Division 4T, which have been declining since 1997.

This research will analyze the chemical signature of trace elements in the otoliths (ear bones) of larval, juvenile and adult herring caught in the field to assess the relationships between herring nursery areas in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, and spawners captured in Division 4S and 4T commercial fisheries. Researchers will assess, and produce maps of, the percentage of herring that originate from different areas along the Gaspé coast, the North Shore, and in the southern Gulf. New information about the structure, origin and distribution of the various subpopulations, as well as variations in the size-at-age and condition of juveniles in different locations, will inform fisheries management decisions related to the herring fishery in NAFO Divisions 4S and 4T.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2014 - 2015

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Catherine Couillard
Fisheries and Oceans Canada