Condition index and energy reserves of the Gulf of St. Lawrence Greenland Halibut

Description

The sustainability of a fishery depends on the management measures established based on the productivity of the target species (largely determined by recruitment ^{Footnote 1} , growth and mortality). In the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, failure to determine the age of Greenland Halibut—particularly in adult fish—considerably limits growth and mortality measurement. It is therefore important to identify alternate indicators of this species' productivity variability.

This project aims to assess the possibility of using a condition index as the single indicator of Greenland Halibut productivity. The purpose of this research is to assess the relationship between the condition index and: 1) total energy reserves, 2) fat reserves, and 3) links between condition, energy reserve measurements and fish growth. The results will be used to do a retrospective assessment of annual variations in the condition index and productivity of Greenland Halibut in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. This work will be used to assess, among other things, the impact of fish catches under various productivity conditions, as determined using the condition index, on variations in the total abundance of Greenland Halibut in the Gulf.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2013 - 2015

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Yvan Lambert
Fisheries and Oceans Canada