Fisheries science: Science advice

Science advice is Step 3 in the Data to Decision process.

On this page

• Providing science advice
• Peer review and transparency
• The cycle of science advice

Providing science advice

Science advice is usually provided through the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Science Advisory Reports or Science Responses. These reports help decision makers understand information about a particular fish stock. Science advice may also be provided through international bodies such as the North Atlantic Fishing Organization.

Science Advisory Reports or Science Responses can contain:

• Estimates of past, present, and future stock abundance
• Estimates of fishing pressure
• Estimates of catch and fishery performance
• Estimates of current stock status in relation to reference points, and recent trends
• Life history information, such as growth and maturity
• Estimates of reference points used to compare the status of a stock to conservation, economic, and socio-cultural objectives, and to determine which management measures should be adjusted to meet objectives
• Information on the ecosystem and environmental conditions affecting the stock, like:
  • oceanographic factors
  • ecological factors
  • climate factors
• Options for management measures, like:
  • catch limits
  • harvest rates
• Forecasts or simulations of possible future stock states under different:
  • harvest levels
  • management measures
  • environmental conditions
• The length of one generation of a fish stock, to estimate how long it might take for stock growth to meet rebuilding objectives
• Key uncertainties or factors that are not known that may affect the science advice
• Recommendations for future work

Peer review and transparency

Peer review ensures the best available evidence is available to make fisheries decisions. Peer review is the evaluation and quality control in our science advice of all:

• data
• analysis
• findings
• conclusions

Science advice is provided via DFO’s Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS), which ensures an inclusive and transparent scientific process involving experts from:

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• other organizations (such as environmental non-government organizations, etc.)
• stakeholders (such as fishing industry, shipping industry, oil and gas industry, etc.)
• Indigenous groups
• academia

When participants of the peer review meeting generally agree on the conclusions

• the science advice is considered finalized
• the results are published online and are readily available to the public

The cycle of science advice

After the data have been collected and analyzed, the stock assessment results and conclusions are summarized in the form of science advice. This can include estimated stock status, and estimates of potential impacts of management actions on the stock.

This becomes part of the annual cycle of science advice, which includes:

1. data collection and monitoring
   • research, surveys, fishery data (landings, effort), biological data
2. stock assessment
   • data analysis, population modelling, status estimation, forecasting
3. science advice
   • peer review (Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat), science advice documents
4. consultation
   • advisory committees (Indigenous groups, provinces, industry and environmental non-governmental organizations)
5. management recommendation
   • total allowable catch, licensing, management measures, rebuilding plans
6. fishing season
7. post-season review
   • quota reconciliation, sample processing, data on landings/effort

This cycle is repeated each year, but some of the steps from 3-5 might happen only once every two or more years depending on how the stock is managed.

Learn more about the scientific review process and explore our science advisory publications.