Terms of Reference

Update of Stock Status Indicators for Cod (3Pn4RS) in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Regional Science Response Process – Quebec Region

January 14, 2021
Virtual meeting

Chairperson: Charley Cyr

Context

The northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (3Pn4RS) cod (Gadus morhua) stock assessment is conducted every two years and the last assessment took place in February 2019. The full assessment of this stock originally scheduled for February 2021 is cancelled to allow the review of the assessment framework in March and May 2021 (data input and model review).

In the interim years, Fisheries management asks for a brief review of the main resource indicators to determine if major changes in the stock status have occurred.

Objectives

The meeting objectives are to review the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (3Pn, 4RS) cod indicators, namely:

• Updating commercial fisheries landings
• Updating abundance indices from DFO and Sentinel Fisheries surveys with fixed gear (gillnet and longline) and mobile gear (trawl)

Expected Publications

• A Science Response
• A CSAS Research Document on the results from the groundfish and shrimp multidisciplinary survey in August 2020 in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Science and Resources management sectors)