Terms of Reference

Evaluation of Management Procedures for Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in the Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert District, and the Central Coast Management Areas of British Columbia

Science Response Process – Pacific Region

August 15, 2019
Nanaimo, BC

Chairperson: Jaclyn Cleary

Context

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has committed to renewing the current Pacific Herring management framework to address a range of challenges to stocks and fisheries in British Columbia. Renewal of the management framework includes initiating a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process to evaluate the performance of candidate management procedures (MPs) against a range of hypotheses related to future stock and fishery dynamics. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify MPs (a combination of data, assessment method and harvest control rule) expected to provide acceptable outcomes related to conservation and fishery management objectives. Selection of a preferred MP for a management area is an iterative process conducted with the participation of First Nations, the fishing industry, government and non-government organizations.

The DFO Sustainable Fisheries Framework and Precautionary Approach (PA Framework; DFO 2009) calls for the identification of limit reference points (LRPs) to serve as thresholds to undesirable stock states. Limit reference points were presented and approved for the five major Pacific Herring stocks in February 2017 (DFO 2017, Kronlund et al. 2018). Closed-loop feedback simulation-testing of candidate MPs, to evaluate the consequences of LRP choice for each stock, was recommended as the next step. However, the identification of a preferred management procedure requires a fully specified set of measurable objectives that includes reference points (typically categorized as limits and targets). Therefore, a number of core fisheries management objectives were proposed by DFO at the Integrated Herring Harvesters Planning Committee in May 2017. In addition, stock-specific objectives were proposed by First Nations and the fishing industry. These core and stock-specific objective are included in this first cycle of the MSE process for the Central Coast (CC), Haida Gwaii (HG), and Prince Rupert District (PRD) management areas.

In July 2018, a formal peer review of the Pacific Herring operating model and closed-loop simulation evaluation of MPs (modified from Cox et al. (2019) and DFO (2015)) was conducted for the West Coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI) and Strait of Georgia (SoG) management areas (DFO 2019). The review focused on simulation testing of MPs under three scenarios describing future trends in natural mortality, a dominant factor in Pacific Herring stock dynamics. These two management areas were chosen for evaluation for two reasons. First, the two areas exhibit contrasting stock and fishery histories. Second, a set of conservation and fishery objectives were identified in part through workshops with WCVI First Nations and industry participants.

DFO Fisheries Management has requested that DFO Science evaluate the performance of candidate MPs for the HG, CC and PRD management areas, applying the operating model and experience gained from previous work on the SoG and WCVI management areas (DFO 2019). Additionally, DFO Fisheries Management has also requested evaluation of alternative catch caps for the SoG MP (DFO 2018b). The evaluation and advice that result from this Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Science Response (SR) process will support the renewal of Pacific Herring management framework and will be used to support the development of the 2019/2020 Pacific Herring Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP).

Objective

Guided by the DFO Fishery Decision-making Framework Incorporating the Precautionary Approach (DFO 2009) under the Sustainable Fisheries Framework, a CSAS Science Response will be developed to:

1. Present the results of MP evaluations for HG, PRD, and CC stocks following methods of DFO (2019).
2. Characterize stock status relative to reference points for all operating model configurations.
3. Review the results of applying a hierarchy of stock and fishery objectives in terms of a relative ranking of candidate management procedures by simulated outcomes. Candidate management procedures may include:
   1. an approximation of the status quo harvest control rule implemented in 1986;
   2. alternative procedures that vary the choice of operational control points and harvest rates specified in a harvest control rule;
   3. “slow-up fast-down” MPs derived from MPs in (b) intended to avoid incorrectly responding to transient increases in abundance above limit reference points.
4. Identify MPs for HG, CC and PRD management areas that meet any pre-determined imperative objectives, and illustrate the trade-off outcomes relative to remaining objectives.
5. Evaluate alternative catch caps for the SoG MP, following from DFO (2019).

Expected Publication

• Science Response

Expected Participation

• DFO Science and Fisheries Management
• First Nations
• Fishing Industry
• Non-government Organizations

References

Cleary, J.S., Hawkshaw, S., Grinnell, M.H., and Grandin, C. 2018. Stock Assessment for Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in British Columbia in 2017 and forecast for 2018. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc 2018/028. In press.

Cox, S.P., Benson, A.J., Cleary, J.S, and Taylor, N.G. 2019. Candidate Limit Reference Pointsas a Basis for Choosing Among Alternative Harvest Control Rules for Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in British Columbia. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. In press.

DFO 2009. A fishery decision-making framework incorporating the Precautionary Approach.

DFO. 2015. Candidate Limit Reference Points as a basis for choosing among alternative Harvest Control Rules for Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in British Columbia. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2015/062.

DFO. 2017. The Selection and Role of Limit Reference Points for Pacific Herring(Clupea pallasii)in British Columbia. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2017/030.

DFO. 2018. Stock assessment for Pacific Herring(Clupea pallasii)in British Columbia in 2017 and forecast for 2018. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2018/002.

DFO. 2018b. Proceedings of the Pacific regional peer review of the Evaluation of Management Procedures for Pacific Herring(Clupea pallasii)in the Strait of Georgia and the West Coast of Vancouver Island Management Areas of British Columbia; July 25-26, 2018. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Proceed. Ser. 2018. In press.

DFO. 2019. Evaluation of Management Procedures for Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) in the Strait of Georgia and the West Coast of Vancouver Island Management Areas of British Columbia. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2019/001.

Kronlund, A.R., Forrest, R.E., Cleary, J.S., and Grinnell, M.H. 2018. The Selection and Role of Limit Reference Points for Pacific Herring(Clupea pallasii) in British Columbia, Canada. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2018/009. ix +125 p.