Proceedings 2022/010

Proceedings of the Pacific regional peer review on the determination of Reference Points for Status Determination and Associated Allowable Exploitation Rates for Canadian Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) Southern Coho Management Units; September 20-21, 2017

Chairperson: Mary Thiess

Editor: Erika Anderson

Summary

These Proceedings summarize the relevant discussions and key conclusions that resulted from a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Regional Peer Review meeting of September 20-21, 2017 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, B.C. A working paper titled “Determination of Reference Points for Status Determination and Associated Allowable Exploitation Rates for Canadian Southern Coho Salmon Management Units” was presented for peer review.

In-person and web-based participation included current and retired DFO Science, Salmon Enhancement Program, and Fisheries Management staff; and external participants: Pacific Salmon Commission Southern Panel and Coho Technical Committee members, First Nations, non-governmental organizations, and commercial and recreational fishing interests.

The working paper presented a simulation model as an approach for incorporating marine survival for determining status benchmarks and allowable fishery exploitation rates. A retrospective analysis was used to verify the model and explore alternate exploitation rates. Results indicated that Interior Fraser (IF) and Strait of Georgia (SoG) Coho Salmon populations have sustainable exploitation rates under the current low marine survival rates. Conversely, much lower exploitation rates are required to consistently meet conservation benchmarks based on reasonable conservation biology arguments (IFCRT 2006).

Meeting discussions covered data issues, the inclusion of unpublished, related research, use of marine survival indices as indicators of population status, density dependence dynamics among Coho populations, alternate model choices, performance measures, Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) categories, implementation error and uncertainties. Major revisions included more descriptive information on the data and model, reanalysis with logistic hockey stick models at a conservation unit (CU) level (where possible), management unit (MU) level and the addition of a depensation point at low spawner abundance, further discussion on choices of performance measure, documentation of estimated wild-to-hatchery marine survival correlations, and additional text documenting uncertainties, conclusions, and recommendations.

The working paper was accepted with major revisions, pending review by an editorial board. The editorial board meeting took place by Webex on November 6, 2017 at the Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, B.C. and a summary of those discussions is also provided here.

The Research Document and Science Advisory Report will be made publicly available on the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) website as they become available.

Proceedings 2022/010 (PDF, 721 KB)

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