Developing an assessment tool for Northern Cod

Fisheries and Oceans Canada provided $51,750 from the Partnership Fund in 2016 to Dr. Noel Cadigan at the Marine Institute of the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) - Centre for Fisheries Ecosystem Research (CFER). CFER developed NCAM – a state-space integrated assessment model for Northern cod (Gadus morhua). Currently, NCAM is the ultimate analytical tool for Northern cod stock assessment. The model encompasses much of the existing information on the productivity of the stock to provide projections of the impacts of various levels of future fishery catches on the continued recovery of northern cod. The project will transfer knowledge about NCAM to DFO so that department personnel can knowledgeably run the models independently of CFER. DFO assessment staff will also be able to integrate other data sources into the model to improve the precision of assessment results. Continuously improving assessment information and advice from science assists DFO Fisheries Management in the development of better Integrated Fisheries Management Plans. Other analytical tools are also expected to develop from the partnership. The expected result is the development of stock assessment models for application in DFO resource assessments.

Project Number: NL2016.5
Year: 2016
Partner: Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Centre for Fisheries Ecosystem Research (CFER)
Principal Investigator(s): Noel Cadigan
Eco-region: Atlantic