Terms of Reference

Gulf of St. Lawrence (4RST) Atlantic Halibut Stock Assessment in 2024

Regional Peer Review - Quebec Region

February 24-25, 2025

Mont-Joli, QC

Chairperson: Elisabeth Van Beveren

Context

The Fisheries Management Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has requested a comprehensive assessment and advice on the status of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Divisions 4RST Atlantic halibut stock as part of the multiyear stock assessment cycle. This request is aligned with the objectives outlined in the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) for Atlantic halibut in NAFO 4RST (DFO 2017). This stock is prescribed under section 6 of the Fisheries Act.

The purpose of this meeting is to determine if there have been any changes in key stock status indicators that would require adjustments to the management plan. This stock is assessed every two years, and was last assessed in March 2023 (DFO 2023).

Objectives

Provide advice for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fishing seasons on:

• Stock status and trends in abundance, recruitment, exploitation rate and biological features based on:
• Fitting a new population dynamics model to the:
• Harvestable biomass;
• Recruitment at harvestable size;
• Monitoring the average size of fish at harvestable size;
• Tagged halibut recaptures;
• Landings
• Otolithometry work
• Update of a limit reference point for this stock and of the stock status in relation to the limit reference point.
• Available knowledge of ecosystem considerations, including variations in life history parameters, species interactions (e.g. predators, prey) and environmental conditions that affect growth, survival and recruitment throughout their distribution, and how these are taken into account in the assessment.
• Assess the impact of maintaining and modifying current harvest levels, including the following harvested levels options:
• Status quo (2,466 t)
• 25% increase (3,083 t)
• 50% increase (3,699 t)
• 75% increase (4,316 t)
• 100% increase (4,932 t)
• Determining the process for providing advice in the form of an update in the interim years between full assessments, including the identification of indicators likely to trigger a full stock assessment instead of an update.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Research Document

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Ecosystems and Oceans Science Sector and Ecosystems and Fisheries Management Sector)
• Provincial governments
• Academia
• Indigenous communities/organizations
• Fishing industry
• Environmental non-government organizations

References

• DFO. 2017. Groundfish - Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO) Subdivisions 3Pn, 4Vn and Divisions 4RST - January 2017.
• DFO. 2023. Stock assessment of Gulf of St. Lawrence (4RST) Atlantic halibut in 2022. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2023/036.