Terms of Reference

Stock Assessment of Herring in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Fishing Areas 4VWX

Regional Advisory Meeting – Maritimes Region

March 31, 2022
Virtual meeting

Chairperson: Darek Moreau

Context

Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) is a pelagic species found on both sides of the North Atlantic. The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) 4VWX management unit contains a number of Herring spawning areas. For the purposes of evaluation and management, the 4VWX Herring fisheries are divided into four components:

1. Southwest Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy (SWNS/BoF) spawning component (also ‘4WX’ in management plan);
2. Offshore Scotian Shelf banks spawning component;
3. Coastal (South Shore, Eastern Shore and Cape Breton) Nova Scotia spawning component; and
4. Southwest New Brunswick (SWNB) migrant juveniles.

The Georges Bank spawning component (5Z) is not included in this evaluation except to document Canadian fishing activity.

A framework review was conducted from 2019 to 2022 for the Southwest Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy (SWNS/BoF) spawning component (Barrett 2022^{Footnote 1}, Carruthers et al. 2020). This science advisory process will use the 2022 assessment framework to determine whether exceptional circumstances have occurred. The status of the SWNS/BoF component will be compared to the  limit reference point (LRP; DFO 2012). The probability of rebuilding SWNS/BoF component above the LRP will be evaluated based on the MSE modeling framework. Stock status of the other spawning components for the 4VWX Herring stock will also be reported using indicators based on the 2018 stock assessment (DFO 2018).

Objectives

Review and update biological and fishery information on 4VWX Herring stock status to assist with quota recommendations for 2022 fisheries, as required in the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan, including but not limited to:

• Evaluation of the indicators for the SWNS/BoF spawning component.
• Review and Update of information regarding the Offshore Scotian Shelf spawning component and Coastal Nova Scotia spawning component, including update survey results.
• Update of the Southwest New Brunswick migrant juvenile fishery component.
• Evaluation of the fishery with respect to the conservation LRP for the SWNS/BoF component.
• Review the runs of the predetermined candidate Management Procedure(s) (MP) simulation tests on the Reference Set of Operating Models for the SWNS/BoF component.
• Provide advice on the probability of rebuilding above the LRP over the projection period for each partner/stakeholder predetermined candidate MP when applied as a Harvest Control Rule for the SWNS/BoF component.
• Determine if exceptional circumstances have occurred for the SWNS/BoF component.
• Advise on recovery and rebuilding of 4VWX Herring, including a review of whether the goals of the rebuilding plan are being met.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings

Expected Participation

• DFO Science
• DFO Resource Management
• Indigenous organizations
• Industry (commercial fishing industry)
• Environmental non-governmental organizations
• External experts

References

• Carruthers, T.R., Hordyk, A.R., Huynh, Q.C., Singh, R., and Barrett, T.J. 2020. A framework for conditioning operating models for the southwest Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy spawning component of 4VWX Herring. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Res. Doc. In Press.
• Clark, D.S., Clark, K.J., Claytor, R., Leslie, S., Melvin, G.D., Porter, J.M., Power, M.J., Stone, H.H., and Waters, C. 2012. Limit Reference Point for Southwest Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy spawning component of Atlantic herring, (Clupea harengus) (German Bank and Scots Bay). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2012/025.
• DFO. 2018. 2018 Assessment of 4VWX Herring. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2018/052.