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SeafoodWatchStandardusedinthisassessment:StandardforFisheriesvF3.2
Atlanticcod
Gadusmorhua
2J3KL(Northernstock)NewfoundlandandLabrador,Canada
Handlineandbottomgillnet
January2018LaurenneSchiller,OceanWiseResearchAnalyst
Disclaimer:OceanWise®strivestohaveallassessmentsreviewedforaccuracyandcompletenessbyexternalscientistswithexpertiseinecology,fisheriesscienceandaquaculture.Scientificreview,however,doesnotconstituteanendorsementoftheOceanWiseseafoodprogramoritsrecommendationsonthepartofthereviewingscientists.OceanWiseissolelyresponsiblefortheconclusionsreachedinthisreport.
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TableofContentsAboutOceanWiseSeafood........................................................................................................................3
RecommendationPolicy.............................................................................................................................4
TableofConservationConcernsandOverallRecommendations..............................................................5
Summary....................................................................................................................................................6
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................7
Assessment................................................................................................................................................7Criterion1:ImpactontheSpeciesUnderAssessment.......................................................................................12Criterion2:ImpactsonOtherSpecies.................................................................................................................17Criterion3:ManagementEffectiveness..............................................................................................................23Criterion4:ImpactsontheHabitatandEcosystem............................................................................................24
Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................................32
References................................................................................................................................................32
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AboutOceanWiseSeafoodTheOceanWise®seafoodprogramevaluatestheecologicalsustainabilityofwild-caughtandfarmedseafoodcommonlyfoundintheCanadianmarketplace.OceanWisedefinessustainableseafoodasoriginatingfromsources,whetherwild-caughtorfarmed,whichcanmaintainorincreaseproductioninthelong-termwithoutjeopardizingthestructureorfunctionofaffectedecosystems.OceanWisemakesitsscience-basedrecommendationsavailabletothepublicintheformofreportsthatareavailabletoviewonourmobileappanddownloadfromwww.ocean.org/seafood.OceanWisealsoworksdirectlywithrestaurants,markets,andseafoodsupplierstoensuretheyhavethemostuptodatescientificinformationregardingsustainableseafood.TheoptionsarehighlightedontheirmenusanddisplaycaseswiththeOceanWisesymbol,makingiteasierforconsumerstomakeinformedseafoodchoices.Sustainabilityrecommendationsaresupportedbyassessmentsthatsynthesiseandanalysethemostcurrentecological,fisheriesandecosystemscienceonaspecies,thenevaluatethisinformationagainsttheprogramsconservationethictoarriveatarecommendation.Inproducingtheassessments,OceanWiseseeksoutresearchpublishedinacademic,peer-reviewedjournalswheneverpossible.Othersourcesofinformationincludegovernmenttechnicalpublications,fisherymanagementplansandsupportingdocuments,andotherscientificreviewsofecologicalsustainability.OceanWiseResearchAnalystsalsocommunicateregularlywithecologists,fisheriesandaquaculturescientists,membersofindustryandconservationorganizationswhenevaluatingfisheriesandaquaculturepractices.Capturefisheriesandaquaculturepracticesarehighlydynamic;asthescientificinformationoneachspecieschanges,OceanWise’sustainabilityrecommendationsandtheunderlyingassessmentswillbeupdatedtoreflectthesechanges.Partiesinterestedincapturefisheries,aquaculturepracticesandthesustainabilityofoceanecosystemsarewelcometouseOceanWiseassessmentsinanywaytheyfinduseful.
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RecommendationPolicyOceanWiserecommendationsaregeneratedfromassessmentsusingtheMontereyBayAquarium’sSeafoodWatch(SFW)programmethodology.FollowingtheSeafoodWatchStandardforFisheries,eachassessmentsynthesizesandanalyzesthemostcurrentecological,fisheriesandecosystemscienceonaspecies,thenevaluatesthisinformationagainsttheprogram’sconservationethicandfourcriteria:
1. Impactsofthefisheryonthestockinquestion2. Impactsofthefisheryonotherspecies3. Effectivenessofmanagement4. Impactsonhabitatandecosystem
UnliketheSeafoodWatchthree-tieredtrafficlightsystemofRed,Yellow,Green,OceanWiseSeafood’sclassificationsystemisbasedontwocategories:sustainable(OceanWiseRecommended)orunsustainable(NotRecommended).
UsingtheSeafoodWatchStandardforwildcapturefisheries,OceanWiserequiresthatfisheriesscore≥to2.8(outof5)andnomorethan1criterionscoring≤2.2toberecommended.
AcomparisonbetweentheSeafoodWatchandOceanWisescoringisdepictedinthefigurebelow:
FullOceanWiseRecommendationPolicycanbefoundhere.http://seafood.ocean.org/seafood-guide/how-we-grade/
1“Fish”isusedthroughoutthisdocumenttorefertofinfish,shellfishandotherinvertebrates.
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TableofConservationConcernsandOverallRecommendations
Stock/fishery Impactsonthestock
Impactsonotherspp.
Management Habitatand
Ecosystem
OverallSeafoodWatchscore
OceanWiserecommendation
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)–handline
Yellow2.236
Green5.0
Yellow3.0
Green3.873
Goodalternative
3.376
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)-gillnet
Yellow2.236
Red1.0
Red2.0
Yellow3.0
Avoid1.914
Notrecommended
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SummaryThis reportuses theSeafoodWatchStandard forFisheries (v.3.2) toassess thesustainabilityof theAtlantic cod (Gadusmorhua) bottom gillnet and handline small-scale (a.k.a. ‘stewardship’) fisheriesoperatingintheNAFO2J3KLregion;landingsfromthesefisheriescurrentlyrepresentabout40%ofthecodlandedinNewfoundlandandLabrador.Atlanticcodisoneofthemosticonicfishintheworldandthefisheryforthisspecieshasalong,complex(and,attimes,highlycontentious)historyinCanada.Fishedsincethelate1400s,landingsreachedahighof800,000tin1968.Onlyadecadelater,however,landingshaddeclinedbyover80%and,intheearly1990s,Canada’s codcollapsed.This collapse isattributed toadecline inenvironmentally-favourableconditionsforcod,aswellasoverfishingandtheassociatedshortcomingsofthedomesticmanagementbody,FisheriesandOceansCanada(DFO),whichdidnoteffectivelycurtailfishingeffortorimplementaproactiveharveststrategyinthefaceofdecliningcatches.Followingthecollapse,amoratoriumwasputoncodin1992butforthe2J3KLstock,aninshorestewardshipfisheryhasbeenpermittedtooperatesince2007.Whilespawningstockbiomasshasincreasedsubstantiallyinrecentyears,itisstillonly34%ofBlim,andthuspopulationbiomassremainsinthe‘critical’zone,inaccordancewiththeCanadianprecautionaryapproachframeworkforfisheriesdevelopedaspartofguidanceonstockrebuilding.Atthesametime,fishingmortalityisestimatedtobeverylowatpresent(i.e.,0.014forcodaged5-14)andisnotpreventingthestockfromrecovering.Handliningisanactivefishinggearandwhenthehooksusedaresizespecifictothetargetspecies,itcanbehighlyselective.Negligiblebycatchoccurswiththisgearinthe2J3KLcodfishery.Conversely,studieshaveshownthatsubstantialnumbersofsmallcetaceans,pinnipeds,leatherbackturtlesandmarinebirdsdiefromentanglementinbottomgillnets,andthatthisgearhasanoticeableimpactonthepopulationhealthofsomeavianspecies.ThemanagementofthestewardshipfisheryistheresponsibilityofFisheriesandOceansCanada(DFO).Several objectives for stock rebuilding are outlined in a Maritime-wide cod recovery plan and anadditionalplanspecificto2J3KLiscurrentlyindevelopment.Overall,thestockappearstoberecoveringslowly,however long-termprecautionbymanagement iswarrantedtoensurethiscanhappen.Withregard tobycatch,DFOalso lacks aprotocolor strategy forprotectingmarinewildlife vulnerable toentanglements.Handlineshaveaminimalimpactonbottomstructure,butbottomgillnetscomeintodirectcontactwiththeseafloorandmayencountersensitivebottomhabitatinthisregion.Currently,somespatialprotectionexistsinthe2J3KLregiontoprotectsensitiveareasandthisispartofalargernationalplantoprotect10%ofCanadianwatersby2020.
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Introduction1) Scopeoftheanalysisandensuingrecommendation
Thisreportassessesthesustainabilityofthesmall-scaleAtlanticcod(Gadusmorhua)bottomgillnetandhandlinefisheriesoperatingoffNewfoundlandandLabradorintheNAFO2J3KLregion(alsoreferredtosynonymouslyasthe‘northernstock’).Over75%ofcodfishinghereisundertakenusingbottomgillnetsand18%withhandlines.Somefishingforcodalsooccursusingtraps(aka.pots)aswellastrawlgearsandlonglinesbutlandingsfromthesegeartypesarecurrentlysmall(~5%collectively)andarenotcoveredinthisassessment.In2015,landingsfromthe2J3KLfisheryrepresentedabout40%ofthecodlandedinNewfoundlandandLabradorregion(Rouxel2017);theproportionislikelyhigherforrecentyearsgivenincreasedcatches.2) Overviewofthespecies
Withabodyshapesimilartohaddockorpollock,Atlanticcodareoftenmottledolivegreenoryellow-brownincolour,haveawhitelateralline,andadistinctivebarbell(hair-likeprojection)ontheirchin(Cohenetal.1990).Ademersalgadid,thisspeciesinhabitsthecolder(0-5°C)coastalandoffshorewatersoftheArcticandnorthAtlanticOceans(COSEWIC2010);inthewesternAtlantic,itsrangeextendsfromUngavaBaynorthofQuebec,CanadasouthwardalongtheNorthAmericancoasttoCapeHatteras,NorthCarolina,U.S.AtlanticcodarealsofoundinthewatersoffGreenlandandIcelandand,intheeasternAtlanticfromtheBarentsSeanorthwardalongthecoasttoBayofBiscayandsouthwardtothecoastofBrittany,France(Kaschneretal.2016).Codofthe2J3KLstockcomplexinhabitanareaofroughly400,000km2fromtheGrandtoHamiltonBanks(Fig1).Codarebroadcastspawners,yetresearchhasshowncomplexmatinginteractionsandbehavioursincludingnon-randommateselectionbyfemalesandcompetitionamongmalesforaccesstofemalesduringspawningtimes(Hutchingsetal1999).Asaresultofover-exploitation,allcodstocksontheAtlanticcoastofCanadahavephenotypicandgeneticchangestolifehistorytraits,includingalowerageatmaturity(Hutchings2004).Thepresentageatmaturityfornortherncod(6years)isnowslightlyyoungerthaninthe1980s.Althoughthesecodgrowfaster,thisdecreaseinageatmaturityisalsoreflectedinasmallersizeatmaturity,whichhasnegativeimplicationsforfecundityand,byextension,stockrecruitmentandpopulationgrowth.Priortothe1990s,muchofthe2J3KLstockwashighlymigratory,withindividualsspendingwinterfartheroffshorenearthecontinentalshelfbeforereturningtonear-shorewatersandtheplateauoftheGrandBankinthesummermonths(DFO2013).Duringthemid-2000s,thismigrationpatternbecamelessapparent,andtaggingstudieshaveshownthatsomepartsofthenorthernstockundergoextensivemigrationsandinterminglewithotherstocks(suchas3PsoffsouthernNewfoundland),whileothersmigratealongthecoastordonotmigrateatall(DFO2016c).Researchonthedistributionandmovementofcodisongoing.
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Figure1.Stockareaofnortherncod(2J3KL).ThedashedlineindicatesCanada’s200nauticalmileExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ).Source:DFO2016c.Historically,themostimportantfoodsourcefornortherncodwascapelin,althoughatdifferinglifestagestheyalsofeedonotherfishandshellfishspeciesincludingherring,flounder,shrimp,andcrab(DFO2013,DFO2015);stomachcontentanalysessuggestcodeatawidearrayofotherspeciesandarenotoverlydiscerningpredators(COSEWIC2010).Nowadays,itisbelievedthatnorthernshrimparealsoakeypreysourceforcodastheproportionofthisspeciesinthedietofAtlanticcodhasincreasedsincethe1990s(Simms2017).AsDFO(2016)explains,“duringthe1985-2007period,capelinavailabilitywasfoundtobeasignificantdriverofNortherncodbiomassdynamicsandthetrendsincod,capelin,andcoddietcompositioninrecentyearsfurthersupporttheimportanceofcapelinavailabilityincodrebuilding.”Therehasbeennostockassessmentforcapelinsinceearly2015butDFOsuggestscapelinareattheirlowestnumbersinfiveyears(Kinsella2017).3) Historyandmanagementofthefishery
Atlanticcodisoneofthemosticonicfishintheworldandthefisheryforthisspecieshasalong,complex(and,attimes,highlycontentious)historyinCanada.RecordedevidenceofthesizeofthecodpopulationinMaritimewatersdatesbacktothe1497,whenJohnCabotfirstreachedNorthAmericanwaters.ThesubsequentestablishmentofEuropeansettlementsbycolonistsin
NEWFOUNDLAND
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Newfoundlandislargelyattributabletothisresourceandeveninthelate1800sthefishremainedsoabundantthatthefamousFrenchnovelistAlexandreDumasposited,“thatifnoaccidentpreventedthehatchingoftheeggsandeacheggreachedmaturity,itwouldtakeonlythreeyearstofilltheseasothatyoucouldwalkacrosstheAtlanticdryshodonthebacksofcod”(Pringle1997).Althoughsomehyperbolemayhavebeeninjectedintothepopulationsizeofthesefish,writtenandphotographicevidencefromthe18thand19thcenturysuggeststheywereindeedoneoftheworld’sgreatestnaturalresourcesandthespawningstockwasestimatedat2.5millionfishasrecentlyasthe1960s(COSEWIC2010).Astechnologicalenhancementsimprovedtheefficiencyofcommercialfisheries,thecatchremainedsubstantialthroughthe1960sandreachedahighof800,000tin1968(DFO2016c;Fig2a).Onlyadecadelater,however,landingshaddeclinedbyover80%and,intheearly1990s,Canada’scodcollapsed.Thiscollapseislargelyattributedtooverfishingandtheassociatedshortcomingsofthedomesticmanagementbody,FisheriesandOceansCanada(DFO),whichdidnoteffectivelycurtailfishingeffortorimplementaproactiveharveststrategyinthefaceofdecliningcatchesandstockhealth(HutchingsandMyers1994;Myersetal.1997;HutchingsandReynolds2004;COSEWIC2010).AsdetailedinNorthernCod:aFailureofCanadianFisheriesManagement(Wappel2005),theCanadianHouseofCommonsStandingCommitteeonFisheriesandOceansCanadafollowingastudyonNorthernCodin2017,concludedthatthat,althoughDFOfailedtoactresponsibly,atthesametime,itwas“oftenunderpressurefromfishermen,coastalcommunities,unions,andpoliticianstoprovideopportunities”(Simms2017).Inaddition,changesintheecosystem—notablyshiftsincapelinavailabilityduringthe1980s—aswellasclimaterelatedwatertemperaturechangeslikelyalsoplayedarole(Rose2004).Arecently-developedstockassessmentmodelspecifictonortherncod(NCAM)attributesstockdeclinemoretonaturalfactorsmorethanfishing,althoughthisiscontroversial(DFO2016b).
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Figure2.a)TotalAllowableCatches(TACs)andlandings(thousandsoftonnes)from1959-2015andb)from1993-2015.Asterisksindicatethatrecreationalcatchesin2007,2009-10,and2013-15werenotdirectlyestimated.(FromDFO2016c).
a.
b.
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WithinCanadianwaters,codcontinuestobemanagedbyDFObothatthefederallevel(throughtheFisheriesActandOceansAct)andregionally(the2J3KLstockfallsunderthejurisdictionoftheNewfoundlandandLabradorRegion).Followingthecollapse,amoratoriumwasputoncodin1992,whichhaspreventedanyoffshoreindustrial-scalecommercialfishing;scientificresearchandmonitoringisongoing(DFO2016c).Forthe2J3KLstock,aninshoresmall-scalefisheryhasbeenpermittedtooperatesince2007.BasedoninformationprovidedbyDFO,roughly30,000fishersareinvolvedinthefisheryandthedivisionofeffortisroughly77%bottomgillnet,18%handline,and5%other(pots,trawls,andlonglines);the3Kareaisthemostactivelyfished(56%),followedby3L(42%)and2J(2%)(DFOpers.comm.2017).Landingsfromthisfisherywerearound4,000tannuallybetween2013-2015(DFO2016c;Fig2b)andin2016,thecatchfromthisfisherywas9,875t(DFO2017e).Presently,thetotalamountofcodcaughtbyrecreationalfisheriesisnotwellknownyettaggingdatasuggeststheyhaveamountedtoanannualaverageof30%ofthesmall-scalefisherylandingsinthelastdecade.Codisalsostilloftencaughtasbycatchinotherfisheriesfordemersalspeciesandinthe3KLdivision,upwardof600twereinadvertentlycaughtbythewinterflounder(Pseudopleuronectesamericanus)fisheryin2004-05(DFO2016c).OutsideoftheCanadianExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ),theScientificCounciloftheNorthwestAtlanticFisheriesOrganization(NAFO)hasreportedannuallandingsofAtlanticcodrangingfrom61tto292tbetween2000-2015(DFO2016c).4) ImportancetotheU.S./NorthAmerica
Most,ifnotall,ofthe2J3KLcatchremainsintheNorthAmericamarket.Fishfromthehandlinefisheryarealmostalwayssoldfreshtorestaurantsorhigh-endretailersineasternCanada,withaverysmallpercentageenteringtheU.S.market.5) Commonandmarketnames
InNorthAmerica,thespeciesinthisassessmentisreferredtoasAtlanticcodorcod.Oftenitisalsogroupedwithotherdemersalspecies(e.g.,haddock,pollock)andsoldunderthegenericterm‘whitefish’.ItmayalsobeidentifiedbyitsSpanishname:bacalao.6) PrimaryProductforms
Likemanywhitefish,Atlanticcodistypicallysoldasafreshorfrozenfillet.Thisspeciesishighlyversatileandisacommoningredientinfishandchipsaswellassoupsandchowders.Atlanticcodfromotherpartsoftheworld(i.e.,UK,Europe)isusedasacommoningredientinfishsticksandotherprocessedorvalue-addedproducts.
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Assessment
Thissectionassessesthesustainabilityofthefishery(s)relativetotheSeafoodWatchCriteriaforFisheries,availableathttp://www.seafoodwatch.org.
Criterion1:ImpactontheSpeciesUnderAssessment
Thiscriterionevaluatestheimpactoffishingmortalityonthespecies,givenitscurrentabundance.Whenabundanceisunknown,abundanceisscoredbasedonthespecies’inherentvulnerability,whichiscalculatedusingaProductivity-SusceptibilityAnalysis.ThefinalCriterion1scoreisdeterminedbytakingthegeometricmeanoftheabundanceandfishingmortalityscores.TheCriterion1ratingisdeterminedasfollows:
• Score>3.2=GreenorLowConcern
• Score>2.2and<=3.2=YelloworModerateConcern
• Score<=2.2=RedorHighConcern
Criterion1SummaryStock/fishery 1.1Stockstatus 1.2Fishingmortality Subscore
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)–handline
1.0(Highconcern)5.0(Lowconcern) 2.236(Moderate
concern)
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)-gillnet
1.0(Highconcern)
5.0(Lowconcern) 2.236(Moderateconcern)
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Criterion1AssessmentFactor1.1AbundanceScoringGuidelines• 5(VeryLowConcern)—Strongevidenceexiststhatthepopulationisabovean
appropriatetargetabundancelevel(giventhespecies’ecologicalrole),ornearvirginbiomass.
• 3.67(LowConcern)—Populationmaybebelowtargetabundancelevel,butisatleast75%ofthetargetlevel,ORdata-limitedassessmentssuggestpopulationishealthyandspeciesisnothighlyvulnerable.
• 2.33(ModerateConcern)—Populationisnotoverfishedbutmaybebelow75%ofthetargetabundancelevel,ORabundanceisunknownandthespeciesisnothighlyvulnerable.
• 1(HighConcern)—Populationisconsideredoverfished/depleted,aspeciesofconcern,threatenedorendangered,ORabundanceisunknownandspeciesishighlyvulnerable.
ATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–HANDLINEANDGILLNETKeyrelevantinfo:Themostrecentfullstockassessmentfor2J3KLAtlanticcodestimatedspawningstockbiomass(SSB)at300,000tin2015(DFO2016c).WhileSSBhasincreasedsubstantiallyinrecentyears,itisstillonly34%ofBlim,thedefinedLimitReferencePoint(LRP).Assuch,populationbiomassremainsinthe‘critical’zoneforthisstock.Furthermore,duetopopulationcollapseintheearly1990s,the2J3KLcodstock(alongwithotherstocksinCanada)waslistedas‘Endangered’bytheCommitteeontheStatusofEndangeredWildlifeinCanadain2010(COSEWIC2010).Forthesereasons,itreceivesascoreof‘highconcern’forthiscriterion.Detailedrationale:Unfavorableenvironmentalconditionsandoverfishing(bybothforeignanddomesticfleets)resultedinthecollapseofthenortherncodstock(alongwiththeothercodstocksofAtlanticCanada)in1992.The2J3KLpopulationbiomassisbelievedtohavedeclinedby99%relativetothe1960s;forthismainreason,itwaslistedasan‘Endangered’speciesinCanada(COSEWIC2010).Amoratoriumonindustrial-scalecommercialfishingsincethecollapsehaslimitedtheamountoffishcaughtand,overthelastdecade,thestockhasshownsignsofslowlyrebuilding(Fig3).ALimitReferencePoint(Blim)of900,000t(whichreferstotheaverageSSBduringthe1980s)wassetin2010(Simms2017).Overallabundancehasbeenincreasing(i.e.,from3%ofBlimin2005to34%in2015)andthereappearstobeanincreaseinlarger,olderfish(Simms2017;DFO2016c).Still,nootherstocktargetorreferencepointshave
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beendefinedforbiomassandalthoughcurrentsignsareencouraging,theselevelsshowthat“thestockisconsideredtohavesufferedseriousharmandtheabilitytoproducegoodrecruitmentisseriouslyimpaired”(DFO2016c).
Figure3.Abundanceof2J3KLAtlanticcodovertime.Followingstockcollapsein1992,biomasshasbeenslowlyincreasingsincetheearly2000sand,for2015,thestockwasat34%oftheLMR.Source:DFO2016c.
Factor1.2FishingmortalityScoringGuidelines• 5(LowConcern)—Probable(>50%)thatfishingmortalityfromallsourcesisator
belowasustainablelevel,giventhespeciesecologicalrole,ORfisherydoesnottargetspeciesandfishingmortalityislowenoughtonotadverselyaffectitspopulation.
• 3(ModerateConcern)—Fishingmortalityisfluctuatingaroundsustainablelevels,ORfishingmortalityrelativetoasustainablelevelisuncertain.
• 1(HighConcern)—Probablethatfishingmortalityfromallsourceisaboveasustainablelevel.
FACTOR1.2–FishingmortalityKeyrelevantinfo:Notargetreferencepoints(i.e.,FMSY)currentlyexistforthisstockbutfishingmortalityforthe2J3KLstockin2015wasestimatedat0.014forcodaged5-14,whichrepresents<5%oftotalmortalityformatureadults.Thisvaluewasbasedonanestimatedtotal
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catchof6,900tin2015(reportedandestimatedlandings).Overall,theexploitationrateisverylowatpresentandisnotpreventingthestockfromrecovering.Assuch,thiscriterionreceivesascoreof‘lowconcern’.Detailedrationale:Priortothecollapseofthestock,fishingmortalitywasfluctuatingaround0.20forage5-14yearoldfishandaround0.40for7-9yearolds(Fig4).AsDFO(2016)explains,“directedinshorefisheriesforcodhavecontinuedthroughoutmostofthepost-moratoriumperiod.Fishingmortality(ages5-14)waslow(0.05)during1995-97wheninshorefishingwashighlyrestricted,butincreasedrapidlyreachingclosetopre-moratoriumvalues(F=0.15to0.20)whenadirectedinshorefisheryforcodwasreopenedin1998-2002.Closureofthedirectedinshorefisheryin2003-2005resultedinasubstantialreductioninFto0.04.Morerecently,Fhasbeenlowanddeclinedfurther,from0.04in2006to0.01in2015inspiteofincreasedinshorecatchesduringtheongoingdirectedinshorecommercialandrecreationalfisheries”.Althoughthecurrentstockassessmentmodelaccountsforcommerciallandings,recreationalcatchhasbeenhighlyuncertaininrecentyearsanddirectestimatesareunavailablefor2006,2008,2013-15.Thetotalcatchin2016(allsources)was13,500t,withroughly15%ofthiscomingfromrecreationalsources;recreationallandingsaveraged30%between2006-2015(DFO2015c).Despitethetotalincreaseinlandingsfrom2015to2016thereisaverylowrisk(<4%)ofSSBdecliningbelowthe2015levelwhenstockprojectionsto2018wereperformedwithcatchesrangingfromzerotofivetimesthe2015catch(Table1;DFO2016c).Table1.Resultsofthethree-yearprojectionsforcatchmultipliersfrom0(nocatch)to5timestheestimatedcatchin2015.Source:DFO2016c.
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Figure4.Fishingmortalityof2J3KLAtlanticcod(byage)overtime.Source:DFO2016c.
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Criterion2:ImpactsonOtherSpecies
AllmainretainedandbycatchspeciesinthefisheryareevaluatedunderCriterion2.SeafoodWatch®definesbycatchasallfisheries-relatedmortalityorinjurytospeciesotherthantheretainedcatch.Examplesincludediscards,endangeredorthreatenedspeciescatch,andghostfishing.SpeciesareevaluatedusingthesameguidelinesasinCriterion1.Wheninformationonotherspeciescaughtinthefisheryisunavailable,thefishery’spotentialimpactsonotherspeciesisscoredaccordingtotheUnknownBycatchMatrices,whicharebasedonasynthesisofpeer-reviewedliteratureandexpertopiniononthebycatchimpactsofeachgeartype.Thefisheryisalsoscoredfortheamountofnon-retainedcatch(discards)andbaituserelativetotheretainedcatch.TodeterminethefinalCriterion2score,thescoreforthelowestscoringretained/bycatchspeciesismultipliedbythediscard/baitscore.TheCriterion2ratingisdeterminedasfollows:
• Score>3.2=GreenorLowConcern
• Score>2.2and<=3.2=YelloworModerateConcern
• Score<=2.2=RedorHighConcernCriterion2SummaryHandliningisanactivefishinggearandwhenthehooksusedaresizespecifictothetargetspecies,itcanbehighlyselective.Almostnobycatchoccurswiththisgearinthe2J3KLcodfishery.Theonlyreportedbycatchwasamakosharkin2016(DFOpers.comm.2017),althoughaporbeaglesharkwasaccidentallyhookedthatyearaswell(Bird2016).Theincidentalcatchofoneshort-hornedsculpinduringarecentstudywasobserved(Rouxel2017)butbasedontheavailableinformation,therearenospeciesthatmeetthecriteriaforinclusioninCriterion2.Dependingonmeshsizeandwhere/whentheyaredeployed,bottomgillnetscanposeasubstantialrisktoothermarinelife.Themeshsizeusedinthe2J3KLgillnetfisherymustbenolessthan5.5in(14cm)andnogreaterthan6.5in(16.5cm)(DFO2017b).Asapassivegear,DFO(2017b)statesthatgillnetsmaybeleftforupto30hours,andtheyarelessdiscriminatorythanmostgearswhenitcomestothespeciestheyensnare.Unlikehandlines,thereisahighincidenceofmortalityfromdrowning,entanglement,and/orsuffocationandmostbycatchcannotbereleasedalive.Fisherlogbooksinthegillnetfisheryreportavarietyofincidentallycaughtspeciesinthe2J3KLgillnetfisherybetween2012-2016:Americanplaice,Greenlandhalibut,Atlanticherring,mackerel,redfish,yellowtailflounder,greysole,skate,squid,pollock,hake,monkfish,winterflounder,spidercrabandsculpin(DFOpers.comm.2017).Fromthesedata,Greenlandhalibutaccountsfor90%ofallreportedbycatchbutbasedonlogbookinformationtotalbycatchinthegillnetfisheryaveragedonly18tannually(<1%ofthetotalcatch)between2012-2016.ThislowbycatchrateissimilartothatamountofdiscardsreportedbytheGreenlandhalibutbottomgillnetfishery(Fuller2008).Althoughthis
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informationpertainsmostlytofishspecies,arecentstudysuggestsahighencounterrate(i.e.,observedin67%oftests)ofbenthicinvertebrates(i.e.,greenseaurchin,seascallop,bluemussel,northernandbasketseastars)inthegillnetfisheryaswell(Rouxel2017).ThefindingsofseveralstudiesoverthelastdecadesuggestthatDFOrecordsareincompletewhenitcomestorecordingthebycatchofthegillnetfisheries,especiallyincidentallytrappedseabirdsandmarinemammals.Substantialnumbersofsmallcetaceans,pinnipeds,andmarinebirdsdiefromentanglement(Benjaminsetal.2007,2008;Zydelisetal.2013),andthatthisgearhasanoticeableimpactonthepopulationhealthofsomeavianspecies(Regularetal.2013).LeatherbackturtlesalsospendthesummermonthsoffthecoastofNewfoundlandandLabradorandarepronetoentanglementingillnetgears(WhaleReleaseandStrandings,n.d.;O’Boyle2012).Althoughincidentalcatchofthesespeciesasapercentageofthetotalcatchcouldnotbecalculatedbasedonvolume,thehighincidenceofinteractionandmortalityjustifiestheirinclusioninCriterion2forthegillnetfishery.TheUnknownBycatchMatrices(UBMs)wereusedaccordingtotheSeafoodWatchStandardtoidentifythesusceptibilityofthedifferentidentifiedspecies(andgroups)tobottomgillnetgearsand,ifinclusionwasjustified(i.e.,≤3.5),scoredaccordingly.ThelowestscoringspeciesanddriveroftheCriterion2scorearetheseabirdsandleatherbackturtle.ATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–HANDLINESpecies 2.1Stock
status2.2Fishingmortality
2.3Modifyingfactor
Subscore
Nosignificantbycatch
- - 1.0 5.0
FACTOR2.1–AbundanceKeyrelevantinfo:Nosignificantbycatch.FACTOR2.2—FishingmortalityKeyrelevantinfo:Nosignificantbycatch.FACTOR2.3–Modifyingfactor:discardsandbaituseKeyrelevantinfo:Inordertoattractcodtotheline,mostfishersusebothartificiallybaitedhooksandnaturalbait(usuallysquid)(Rouxel2017).Estimatesofbaitusearenotavailableforthisfisherybutitisunlikelythatitissubstantialrelativetototaltargetlandings.Detailedrationale:NA
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ATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–GILLNETSpecies 2.1Stock
status2.2Fishingmortality
2.3Modifyingfactor
Subscore
Seabirds 1.0 1.0
1.0 1.0
Marinemammals
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Leatherbackturtle
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Benthicinvertebrates
2.33 3.0 1.0 2.644
SEABIRDSFACTOR2.1–AbundanceKeyrelevantinfo:Severalspeciesofseabirdsareincidentallycaughtbythebottomgillnetfisheryandthisgroupreceivesasusceptibilityscoreof3usingtheUnknownBycatchMatrixforNorthwestAtlanticgillnets.Sinceseabirdsareahighlyvulnerabletaxa,thiscriterionscores‘highconcern’.Detailedrationale:StudiesontheNewfoundlandcodgillnetfisheryreporttheincidentalcatchofgreatshearwaters(Puffinusgravis),gannets,doublecrestedcormorants(Phalacrocoraxauritus),murres(UriaaalgeandU.lomvia),andAtlanticpuffins(Fraterculaarctica).Othersimilargillnetfisheriesintheareareportthecatchofthesespeciesaswellasothers,including:loons(Gaviaspp.),northernfulmars(Fulmarusglacialis),sootyshearwaters(Puffinusgriseus),Cory’sshearwaters(Calonectrisdiomedea),commoneiders(Somateriamollissima),razorbills(Alcatorda),blackguillemots(Cepphusgrylle)anddovekies(Allealle)(Benjaminetal.2008).Ofthespeciescaughtinthecodfishery,theAtlanticpuffinhasthelowestIUCNrating(‘Vulnerable’).TheoveralltrendofthewestAtlanticpopulationisunknownbut“populationsaresuspectedtobedecliningrapidlythroughthecombinedimpactofpredationbyinvasivespecies,pollution,foodshortagescausedbythedepletionoffisheriesandadultmortalityinfishingnets”(BirdLifeInternational2017).FACTOR2.2–FishingmortalityKeyrelevantinfo:Seabirdsreceiveasusceptibilityscoreof3forNorthwestAtlanticbottomgillnetfisheriesusingtheUnknownBycatchMatrixandwithnoadditionalinformation,thiswouldresultinafishingmortalityscoreof‘moderateconcern’.However,duetorecentresearchthatshowsgillnetfisheriesinAtlanticCanadahaveademonstrableeffectontheabundanceofcertainbirdpopulationsinthearea,thiscriterionhasbeenscored‘highconcern’.
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Detailedrationale:Between2001-2003,anestimated2,000-7,000murresand>2000shearwatersweretrappedinNewfoundland’sgillnetfisheries;severalotherspecies(seeabove)werealsocaughtinnumbersrangingfromtenstohundreds(Benjaminsetal.2008).Anotherrecentstudyshowedthatduetodecreasedbycatchduringthelarge-scalecodfisheryclosureinthe1990s,thebreedingpopulationsofauksandgannetsincreasedfrompre-closurelevelsandthattherewas“apositivepopulationresponseofcommonmurrestoreductioningillnetfishingwithinitsforagingrange”(Regularetal.2013).MARINEMAMMALSFACTOR2.1–AbundanceKeyrelevantinfo:Marinemammalsarehighlysusceptibletointeractionswithgillnetsandtrap/potfisheriesinnearlyallregionsandwithtrawlsanddriftlonglinesinmostregions.Thistaxareceivesasusceptibilityscoreof1usingtheUnknownBycatchMatrixforNorthwestAtlanticgillnets.Sincemarinemammalsareahighlyvulnerabletaxa,thiscriterionscores‘highconcern’.Detailedrationale:Theharborporpoise(Phocoenaphocoena)isfrequentlycaughtbythenearshorecodbottomgillnetfishery.InthewestAtlanticOcean,anestimated75,000harbourporpoisesliveintheGulfofMaine/UpperBayofFundyandanadditional27,000liveintheGulfofSt.Lawrence.Thetotalglobalpopulationofthisspeciesisestimatedatabout700,000individualsbuttheoverallpopulationtrendisunknown(Hammondetal.2008).FACTOR2.2—FishingmortalityKeyrelevantinfo:Marinemammalsreceiveasusceptibilityscoreof1forNorthwestAtlanticbottomgillnetfisheriesusingtheUnknownBycatchMatrixandwithnoadditionalinformation,thiswouldresultinafishingmortalityscoreof‘moderateconcern’.However,duetothesignificantandseeminglydisproportionateimpactofthecodbottomgillnetfisheryonmortalityofthisspecies,thiscriterionhasbeenscored‘highconcern’.Detailedrationale:Between2001-2003,anestimated4,518harbourporpoiseswerecaughtinNewfoundlandgillnetfisheries(mostlyforcod)(Benjaminsetal2007).AssumingtheseporpoisesareassociatedwiththeStLawrencepopulation(seeabove),thissuggestsanannualobservedmortalityofroughly16%.Mostoftherecordedentanglementsoccurredduringthesummermonths(July-September),whichcoincideswiththecurrentopeningtimeofthefishery.AlthoughtheIUCNdoesnotlistthisspeciesasthreatenedglobally,itdoesstatethat,“themostsignificantthreatinmostareasisincidentalcatchesinfishinggear,primarilygillnets”(Hammondetal.2008).Furthermore,themostrecentharborporpoiseassessmentbytheCommitteeontheStatusofEndangeredWildlifeinCanada(COSEWIC)liststhisspeciesas‘SpecialConcern’inthenorthwestAtlanticspecificallystatingthat“susceptibilityofharbourporpoisestobycatchinfishinggearrepresentsanincipientthreat”(COSEWIC2006).
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LEATHERBACKTURTLEFACTOR2.1–AbundanceKeyrelevantinfo:TheAtlanticpopulationofleatherbackturtles(Dermochelyscoriacea)islistedas‘Endangered’underCanada’sSpeciesAtRiskAct(SARA2017).Assuch,itscores‘highconcern’forthiscriterion.Detailedrationale:ThereisnodirectestimateofstockabundanceforleatherbackturtlesoneithercoastofCanada.ThemostrecentestimatefortheNorthAtlanticisbetween34,000-94,000adultsbutcurrentdataareinsufficienttodeterminepopulationtrends(COSEWIC2012).FACTOR2.2—FishingmortalityKeyrelevantinfo:AccordingtotheSFWUnknownBycatchMatrix,seaturtlesusceptibilitytonorthwestAtlanticbottomgillnetsis3,therefore‘moderateconcern’.However,gillnetfisheriesinAtlanticCanadahavebeenidentifiedasamainthreattoleatherbackturtles,whichspendthesummermonthsoffthecoastofNewfoundlandandLabrador.Forthisreason,thiscriterionhasbeenupgradedto‘highconcern’.Detailedrationale:Sinceturtlesbecomeentangledat-depth,thisgearlikelyposesahighriskofmortalityfromtheseinteractionsduetodrowning.Encounterswithgroundfishgillnetgearsince1976represented44%ofallinteractions(75)recordedand“thisfisheryrepresentsahighpotentialsourceofinteraction,especiallyoffNewfoundland”(O’Boyle2012).Recordedinteractionaredependentonobserverdata(forwhichcoveragewaslessthan2%in3Kand3Lduringthestudyperiod),andlogbookinformation(whichmaybesubjecttofishererrororunder-reporting).Assuch,theseestimatesmaybelowerthanreality. BENTHICINVERTEBRATESFACTOR2.1–AbundanceKeyrelevantinfo:Benthicinvertebrateswereincludedbasedonasusceptibilityscoreof3forbottomgillnetfisheriesusingtheUnknownBycatchMatrix.Noneofthespeciesincidentallycaughtarefromhighlyvulnerabletaxa,thereforethiscriterionscores‘moderateconcern’.Detailedrationale:Althoughlogbookinformationonlyidentifiessomebycatchofsquid(Illexspp.)andtoadcrab(HyasaraneusandH.coarctatus),arecentstudyonNewfoundlandcodfisherybycatchfoundbenthicinvertebratesin67%oftheirbottomgillnetsets(Rouxel2017).Trappedspeciesincludedtoadcrab,greenseaurchin(Strongylocentrotusdroebachiensis),seascallop(Placopectinmagellanicus),commonwhelk(Buccinmundatum),bluemussel(Mytilusedulis),basketstar((Gorgonocephaluseucnemis),northernseastar(Asteriasvulgaris),lion’smanejellyfish(Cyaneacapillata),moonjellyfish(Aureliaaurita),redsoftcoral(Gersemiarubiformis)andnorthernredanemone(Urticiniafelina).FACTOR2.2—FishingmortalityKeyrelevantinfo:Benthicinvertebrateswereincludedbasedonasusceptibilityscoreof3forbottom
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gillnetfisheriesusingtheUnknownBycatchMatrix.Therefore,thiscriterionscores‘moderateconcern’.Detailedrationale:NAFACTOR2.3–Modifyingfactor:discardsandbaituseKeyrelevantinfo:Thisfisherydoesnotusebaitandbasedonlogbookinformation,therewerenodeaddiscardsbetween2012-2016.Duetolowobservercoverage,thisinformationcouldnotbeverified.However,itisunlikelythattheamountofdeaddiscardsrelativetototallandingsexceeds100%.Detailedrationale:NA
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Criterion3:ManagementEffectiveness
Fivesubfactorsareevaluated:ManagementStrategyandImplementation,BycatchStrategy,ScientificResearch/Monitoring,EnforcementofRegulations,andInclusionofStakeholders.Eachisscoredaseither‘highlyeffective’,‘moderatelyeffective’,‘ineffective,’or‘critical’.Thefinalcriterion3scoreisdeterminedasfollows:• 5(VeryLowConcern)—Meetsthestandardsof‘highlyeffective’forallfivesubfactors
considered.• 4(LowConcern)—Meetsthestandardsof‘highlyeffective’formanagementstrategyand
implementation‘andatleast‘moderatelyeffective’forallothersubfactors.• 3(ModerateConcern)—Meetsthestandardsforatleast‘moderatelyeffective’forallfive
subfactors.• 2(HighConcern)—Atminimum,meetsstandardsfor‘moderatelyeffective’forManagement
StrategyandImplementationandBycatchStrategy,butatleastoneothersubfactorisrated‘ineffective.’
• 1(VeryHighConcern)—ManagementStrategyandImplementationand/orBycatchManagementare‘ineffective.’
• 0(Critical)—ManagementStrategyandImplementationis‘critical’.
TheCriterion3ratingisdeterminedasfollows:
• Score>3.2=GreenorLowConcern• Score>2.2and<=3.2=YelloworModerateConcern• Score<=2.2=RedorHighConcern
RatingisCriticalifManagementStrategyandImplementationisCritical.Criterion3SummaryStock/fishery 3.1
Managementstrategy
3.2Bycatchstrategy
3.3Scientificresearchandmonitoring
3.4Enforcementofmanagementregulations
3.5Stakeholderinclusion
Subscore
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)–handline
Moderatelyeffective
Highlyeffective
Moderatelyeffective
Moderatelyeffective
Moderatelyeffective
3.0
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)–gillnet
Moderatelyeffective
Moderatelyeffective
Ineffective Moderatelyeffective
Moderatelyeffective
2.0
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Criterion3AssessmentATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–HANDLINEFACTOR3.1–ManagementstrategyandimplementationKeyrelevantinfo:SeveralobjectivesforthemanagementofthestewardshipfisherywereoutlinedinaMaritime-widecodrecoveryplan(DFO2005)andanadditionalstock-specificrebuildingplaniscurrentlyindevelopment.Ashort-term“stockgrowth”(i.e.,increasedabundance,althoughnottohistoriclevels)rebuildingtimelineof5-10yearswasincludedintheoriginalrecoveryplan(DFO2005).ResearchbyDFOaswellasindependentresearcherssuggestsabundanceisincreasingandthepopulationisrebuilding(RoseandRowe2015;DFO2016c).However,morerecentpreliminarydatasuggestthecomebackmayhavestalled(RoseandRowe,2017).Scientistshaveadvisedthat“removalsshouldbekepttothelowestpossiblelevel”topromotestockgrowth(DFO2016c)andalthoughcatchlimitshaveincreasedinrecentyears,thecurrentmortalityfromfishingremainsinalowriskzone(seeTable1,Criterion1.2).Nonetheless,increasedfishingcouldimpacttherateofrecoveryandahighlycautiousapproachtomanagementisessential(Bailey2017;RoweandRose2017).Forthesereasons,thiscriterionisscoredas‘moderatelyeffective’.Detailedrationale:In2003,theGovernmentsofCanadaandNewfoundlandandLabradorformedtheCanada-NewfoundlandandLabradorActionTeamforCodRecovery.In2005,thisActionTeamreleasedavarietyofrecommendationsfortherecoveryofcodstocksoffNewfoundlandandLabrador.Themainobjectiveofthisstrategywasto“preventfurtherdeclinesinthebiologicalstatusofthesestocksandtocontributetotherecoveryandsustainablemanagementofthestocksoverthelongterm”(DFO2005).Theharvestplanforthe2J3KLfisheryisupdatedannuallyandthefollowinginformationwasobtainedfromthe2017version(DFO2017b).Participationinthefisheryislimitedtofisherslivinginaportwithininthe2J3KLarea.Thefishingseasonrunsfrommid-JunetotheendofNovember,butfishingisprohibitedduringtheentiremonthofJuly.Theisnototalallowablecatch(TAC)fortheareasbutweeklycatchlimits/quotasaresetindependentlyforthe2Jand3KLregions(Fig5).Whiletheselevelsofcatcharenotbelievedtoposearisktotherecoveryofthestock(seeCriterion1.2)noinformationwasavailableregardinghowtheselimitsweredeterminedandthisisinconsistentwiththerecommendationintherecoveryplan(i.e.,adoptTACdecisionrules).
Figure5.Weeklycatchlimitsforeachareaperlicenseinthe2J3KLcodstewardshipfishery.(FromDFO2017b.)
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Fishersmayonlyemployonegeartypeperdayandforhandlines,amaximumofsixhooksperlineispermitted.Additionalmeasuresincludeaminimumcatchsize(fishmustequalorexceed45cminlength)andareasareclosedwhenthenumberofcodlessthan45cmexceeds15%ofthearea’stotal.Discardingatseaisprohibitedandallfishersarerequiredtoreporttheirlandings(bothtargetedandbycatch)intheirlogbooks.
FACTOR3.2—BycatchstrategyKeyrelevantinfo:Fisheryisbelievedtohaveverylow(<5%)bycatchthereforeitscores‘highlyeffective’forthiscriterion.Detailedrationale:NAFACTOR3.3--ScientificresearchandmonitoringKeyrelevantinfo:Inrecentyears,DFOhasconductedastockassessmentfor2J3KLcodeverythreeyearsand,from2018onward,theseassessmentswillhappenonanannualbasis.However,despitethefrequencyofassessments,somelandingsarenotadequatelyaccountedfor(and,thus,thismetricisnotasaccurateaspossible).Althoughthereappearstobesufficientdatacollectionwithregardtotargetedcatchinthecommercialfishery,unreportedrecreationalcatchisakeyfactorinmodeluncertaintyand“accuratemonitoringofdeathsresultingfrombothcommercialandrecreationalfisheriesshouldbeconsideredamanagementpriority”(DFO2016b).Afurtherlackofbycatchdataretentionwarrantsascoreof“moderatelyeffective”forthiscriterion.Detailedrationale:Stockassessmentsarebasedonanintegratedstate-spacemodeldevelopedspecificallyfornortherncodandincludeinformationfromtrawlandgillnetsurveys,fisherylandings,andtaggingstudies(DFO2016b).However,sincetherecreationalcatchhasbeenestimatedinsixofthelasttenyears,thishasbeenidentifiedaskeysourceofuncertaintyinthestockassessmentmodel(DFO2016c).Althoughbycatchislikelyinsignificantgiventheactiveandtargetednatureofhandlining,bycatchdataarenotkeptforvessels<35ftduetoprivacyconcerns.Furthermore,highgradingofunder-sizedcodmayoccurgivenfishlengthrestrictionsandthewarningofclosureifundersizedcatchlimitsarereached.Thiswouldadditionallyresultinunder-reportedcatchesyetitisunclearhowtheseareaccountedforinthestockassessmentmodel.DuetoarecommendationbytheCanadianHouseofCommonsStandingCommitteeonFisheriesandOceansandthe2+3KLNOGroundfishAdvisoryCommittee,DFOwillstartconductingstockassessmentseveryyearforthenextfiveyears,beginninginwinter2018(DFO2017a).FACTOR3.4–EnforcementofmanagementregulationsKeyrelevantinfo:Enforcementandmonitoringmeasuresexist,althoughtheireffectivenessisuncertain.Forthisreason,thiscriterionscores‘moderatelyeffective’.
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Detailedrationale:Fishersmustlandtheircatchatdesignatedportsanddocksidemonitoring/catchvalidationis100%(Oceana2017).Forvesselsthatexceed40ftinlength,theuseofVMSismandatorybutat-seaobservercoverageisverylowformanyfisheriesinAtlanticCanada(Fulleretal.2008;DFO2016a;Oceana2017)andthusnotallfishingactivitiesmaybeoverseenoraccuratelyobserved.FACTOR3.5—StakeholderinclusionKeyrelevantinfo:Despitepastconflictsovermanagementdecisions,thereisaconstructiverelationshipbetweenDFO,scientists,andfishermen.However,currentmanagementdecisionsfornortherncodappeartobeweightedmostheavilybyinputfromcertainindustrymembersmorethanothers.Forthisreason,thiscriterionscores‘moderatelyeffective’.Detailedrationale:ThemostrecentstockassessmentincludedparticipationbyanddiscussionbetweenDFOscientistsandmanagers,academics,representativesfromtheindustryincludingFish,FoodandAlliedWorkers(FFAW),GroundfishEnterpriseAllocationCouncil(GEAC),FirstNations,andnon-governmentalorganizations(DFO2016b).Thatsaid,the2017harveststrategywas“basedonaproposalsubmittedbyNewfoundlandandLabradorGroundfishIndustryDevelopmentCouncil(NL-GIDC),collaborationbetweentheFishFoodandAlliedWorkersUnion(FFAW)andvariousNewfoundlandandLabradorseafoodprocessors”(DFO2017d).Assuch,itispossiblethattheinterestsofcertainpartieswereweighedmoreheavilythanothersandnoinformationwasavailableonhowconflictisaddressedinthisfishery.InMarch2017,theCanadianHouseofCommonsStandingCommitteeonFisheriesandOceansreleasedthereport,NewfoundlandandLabrador’sNortherncodfishery:Chartinganewsustainablefuture(Simms2017).Thisreportwasafollow-uptoNorthernCod:aFailureofCanadianFisheriesManagement(Wappel2005).ThenewreportincludestheCommittee’sfindingsasaresultofconsultationwithalloftheaforementionedgroupsanditincludestenrecommendationsregardingmanagementdirectivesandbestpracticesforthefisherygoingforward(includingtherecommendationofmoreregularstockassessments(seeCriterion3.2).Historically,codmanagementhasbeenahighlycontentiousissueinCanada,particularlywithregardtothecollapseintheearly1990s.Althoughdifferencesinopinionremain(especiallybetweenfishersandDFOscientistswhenitcomestoobservationsofstockhealth),collaborationsincethistimeishighlyencouragingforthefutureofthefishery.ATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–GILLNETFACTOR3.1–ManagementstrategyandimplementationKeyrelevantinfo:SeveralobjectivesforthemanagementofthestewardshipfisherywereoutlinedinaAtlantic-widecodrecoveryplan(DFO2005)andanadditionalstock-specificrebuildingplaniscurrentlyindevelopment.Ashort-term“stockgrowth”(i.e.,increasedabundance,althoughnottohistoriclevels)rebuildingtimelineof5-10yearswasincludedintheoriginalrecoveryplan(DFO2005).ResearchbyDFOaswellasindependentresearcherssuggestsabundanceisincreasingandthe
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populationisrebuilding(RoseandRowe2015;DFO2016c).However,morerecentpreliminarydatasuggestthecomebackmayhavestalled(RoseandRowe,2017).Scientistshaveadvisedthat“removalsshouldbekepttothelowestpossiblelevel”topromotestockgrowth(DFO2016c)andalthoughcatchlimitshaveincreasedinrecentyears,thecurrenttotalcatchremainsinalowriskzone(seeTable1,Criterion1.2).Nonetheless,increasedfishingcouldimpacttherateofrecoveryandahighlycautiousapproachtomanagementisessential(Bailey2017;RoweandRose2017).Forthesereasons,thiscriterionisscoredas‘moderatelyeffective’.Detailedrationale:In2003,theGovernmentsofCanadaandNewfoundlandandLabradorformedtheCanada-NewfoundlandandLabradorActionTeamforCodRecovery.In2005,thisActionTeamreleasedavarietyofrecommendationsfortherecoveryofcodstocksoffNewfoundlandandLabrador.Themainobjectiveofthisstrategywasto“preventfurtherdeclinesinthebiologicalstatusofthesestocksandtocontributetotherecoveryandsustainablemanagementofthestocksoverthelong-term”(DFO2005).Theharvestplanforthe2J3KLfisheryisupdatedannuallyandthefollowinginformationwasobtainedfromthe2017version(DFO2017b).Participationinthefisheryislimitedtofisherslivinginaportwithininthe2J3KLarea.Thefishingseasonrunsfrommid-JunetotheendofNovember,butfishingisprohibitedduringtheentiremonthofJuly.Theisnototalallowablecatch(TAC)fortheentireseasonbutweeklycatchlimits/quotasaresetindependentlyforthe2Jand3KLregions(Fig5).Whiletheselevelsofcatcharenotbelievedtoposearisktotherecoveryofthestock(seeCriterion1.2)noinformationwasavailableregardinghowtheselimitsweredeterminedandthisisinconsistentwiththerecommendationintherecoveryplan(i.e.,adoptTACdecisionrules).
Figure5.Weeklycatchlimitsforeachareaperlicenseinthe2J3KLcodstewardshipfishery.(FromDFO2017b.)
Fishersmayonlyemployonegeartypeperdayandforgillnets,amaximumofsixnetspervesselispermittedinJune,AugustandSeptember(upto9maybeonboardduringOctoberandNovember).Thelengthofagillnetmaynotexceed50fathoms,meshsizemustbe5.5-6.5incheswideandallgillnetsmustbetagged.Additionalmeasuresincludeaminimumcatchsize(fishmustequalorexceed45cminlength)andareasareclosedwhenthenumberofcodlessthan45cmexceeds15%ofthearea’stotallandings.Discardingatseaisprohibitedandallfishersarerequiredtoreporttheirlandings(bothtargetedandbycatch)intheirlogbooks.
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FACTOR3.2—BycatchstrategyKeyrelevantinfo:Certainlandinglimitsandhandlingmeasuresareinplaceforincidentallycaughtfishspecies,howeverthereisnobycatchstrategynormitigationmeasuresforothercommonlyencounteredmarinespecies(i.e.,seabirds,marinemammals).Forthisreason,thiscriterionscores‘moderatelyeffective’.Detailedrationale:Thecurrentharvestplanforthecodstewardshipfisherystatesthatfishersarerestrictedto10%of200lbsincidentalbycatch(whicheverisgreater)andforGreenlandhalibut,bycatchmaynotexceed5%or200lbsdailywhentheGreenlandhalibutfisheryisopen.Whenthisfisheryisclosed,allGreenlandhalibutmustbereturnedtothewater“inamannerthatcasestheleastharm”.SpeciesotherthanGreenlandhalibut,includinganyNorthernorSpottedwolfish(whicharelistedundertheCanadianSpeciesAtRiskAct)mustalsobereleased.IndependentresearchhasconcludedthatNewfoundlandgillnetfisheries(includingthoseforcod)areresponsibleforthemortalityofthousandsofseabirdsaswellashundredsofmarinemammals(includingpinnipedsandcetaceans)annually(Benjaminsetal.2007,2008;Regularetal.2013;Zydelisetal.2013;Rouxel2017).However,therearenoexplicitmanagementmeasuresinplaceaimedatreducingtheimpactsofthisgeartypeonanyofthesespeciesoutsideofdesignatedMarineProtectedAreas(seeCriterion4).FACTOR3.3--ScientificresearchandmonitoringKeyrelevantinfo:Inrecentyears,DFOhasconductedastockassessmentfor2J3KLcodeverythreeyearsand,from2018onward,theseassessmentswillhappenonanannualbasis.However,despitethefrequencyofassessments,somelandingsarenotadequatelyaccountedfor(and,thus,thismetricisnotasaccurateaspossible)andonlyonestockreferencepointhasbeenset.Inrelationtobycatch,thebottomgillnetfisheriesofNewfoundlandareknowntoberesponsibleforthedeathofthousandsofmarineanimalseachyearyettheseinteractionsarenotincludedinDFObycatchrecords.Whilebycatchdataarecollectedfromlogbooks,thedegreetowhichanalysisofthesedataoccursisunclear.Thus,themonitoringandassessmentofbycatchappearstobeinsufficientgiventhepotentialimpactofthefisheryonmanyspecies.Forthisreason,thiscriterionscores‘ineffective’.Detailedrationale:Stockassessmentsarebasedonanintegratedstate-spacemodeldevelopedspecificallyfornortherncodandincludeinformationfromtrawlandgillnetsurveys,fisherylandings,andtaggingstudies.However,sincetherecreationalcatchhasbeenestimatedinsixofthelasttenyears,thishasbeenidentifiedaskeysourceofuncertaintyinthestockassessmentmodel(DFO2016c).DuetoarecommendationbytheCanadianHouseofCommonsStandingCommitteeonFisheriesandOceansandthe2+3KLNOGroundfishAdvisoryCommittee,DFOwillstartconductingstockassessmentseveryyearforthenextfiveyears,beginninginwinter2018(DFO2017a).AsdiscussedinCriterion2,researchsuggeststhatDFObycatchrecordsareincompletewhenitcomestoquantifyingtheincidentalcaptureofgillnetfisheries,especiallyforseabirdsandmarinemammals(seeBenjaminsetal.2007,2008;Regularetal.2013;Zydelisetal.2013;Rouxel2017).Morevessel
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monitoringaswellastargetedresearchontheimpactsofthecodgillnetfisheryisrequiredascurrentmanagementmeasuresandoversightareclearlyinsufficientforprotectingcertaintypesofmarinewildlife.Withregardtocetaceans,COSEWIC(2006)states“thelackofporpoisebycatchmonitoringandmitigationinmanyoftherelevantfisheriesarereasonsforconcern”.FACTOR3.4–EnforcementofmanagementregulationsKeyrelevantinfo:Enforcementandmonitoringmeasuresexist,althoughtheireffectivenessisuncertain.Forthisreason,thiscriterionscores‘moderatelyeffective’.Detailedrationale:Fishersmustlandtheircatchatdesignatedportsanddocksidemonitoring/catchvalidationis100%(Oceana2017).Forvesselsthatexceed40ftinlength,theuseofVMSismandatorybutat-seaobservercoverageisverylowformanyfisheriesinAtlanticCanada(Fulleretal.2008;DFO2016a;Oceana2017)andthusnotallfishingactivitiesmaybeoverseenoraccuratelyobserved.FACTOR3.5—StakeholderinclusionKeyrelevantinfo:Despitepastconflictsovermanagementdecisions,thereisaconstructiverelationshipbetweenDFO,scientists,fishermenandlocalENGOs.However,currentmanagementdecisionsfornortherncodappeartobeweightedmostheavilybyinputfromcertainindustrymembersmorethanothers.Forthisreason,thiscriterionscores‘moderatelyeffective’.Detailedrationale:ThemostrecentstockassessmentincludedparticipationbyanddiscussionbetweenDFOscientistsandmanagers,academics,representativesfromtheindustryincludingFish,FoodandAlliedWorkers(FFAW),GroundfishEnterpriseAllocationCouncil(GEAC),FirstNations,andnon-governmentalorganizations(DFO2016b).LocalENGOsnowalsoattendfisheryadvisorymeetingsandstockassessmentmeetings.Thatsaid,the2017harveststrategywas“basedonaproposalsubmittedbyNewfoundlandandLabradorGroundfishIndustryDevelopmentCouncil(NL-GIDC),collaborationbetweentheFishFoodandAlliedWorkersUnion(FFAW)andvariousNewfoundlandandLabradorseafoodprocessors”(DFO2017d).Assuch,itispossiblethattheinterestsofcertainpartieswereweighedmoreheavilythanothersandnoinformationwasavailableonhowconflictisaddressedinthisfishery.InMarch2017,theCanadianHouseofCommonsStandingCommitteeonFisheriesandOceansreleasedthereport,NewfoundlandandLabrador’sNortherncodfishery:Chartinganewsustainablefuture(Simms2017).Thisreportwasafollow-uptoNorthernCod:aFailureofCanadianFisheriesManagement(Wappel2005)ThenewreportincludestheCommittee’sfindingsasaresultofconsultationwithalloftheaforementionedgroupsanditincludestenrecommendationsregardingmanagementdirectivesandbestpracticesforthefisherygoingforward(includingtherecommendationofmoreregularstockassessments(seeCriterion3.2).Historically,codmanagementhasbeenahighlycontentiousissueinCanada,especiallywithregardtothecollapseintheearly1990s.Althoughdifferencesinopinionremain(especiallybetweenfishersandDFOscientistswhenitcomestoobservationsofstockhealth),collaborationsincethistimeishighlyencouragingforthefutureofthefishery.
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Criterion4:ImpactsontheHabitatandEcosystem
ThisCriterionassessestheimpactofthefisheryonseafloorhabitats,andincreasesthatbasescoreiftherearemeasuresinplacetomitigateanyimpacts.Thefishery’soverallimpactontheecosystemandfoodwebandtheuseofecosystem-basedfisheriesmanagement(EBFM)principlesisalsoevaluated.EcosystemBasedFisheriesManagementaimstoconsidertheinterconnectionsamongspeciesandallnaturalandhumanstressorsontheenvironment.ThefinalscoreisthegeometricmeanoftheimpactoffishinggearonhabitatscoreandtheEcosystemBasedFisheryManagementscore.TheCriterion4ratingisdeterminedasfollows:• Score>3.2=GreenorLowConcern• Score>2.2and<=3.2=YelloworModerateConcern• Score<=2.2=RedorHighConcernCriterion4SummaryStock/fishery 4.1aImpacton
substrate4.1bMitigationoffishinggearimpacts
4.2EBFM Subscore
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)–handline
4.0 +1.0 3.0 3.873
Atlanticcod(2J3KL)-gillnet 2.0 +1.0 3.0 3.0
Criterion4AssessmentFactor4.1aPhysicalImpactofFishingGearontheHabitat/SubstrateScoringGuidelines• 5(None)—Fishinggeardoesnotcontactthebottom• 4(VeryLow)—Verticallinegear• 3(Low)—Gearsthatcontactsthebottom,butisnotdraggedalongthebottom(e.g.gillnet,
bottomlongline,trap)andisnotfishedonsensitivehabitats.Orbottomseineonresilientmud/sandhabitats.Ormidwatertrawlthatisknowntocontactbottomoccasionally.Orpurseseineknowntocommonlycontactthebottom.
• 2(Moderate)—Bottomdragginggears(dredge,trawl)fishedonresilientmud/sandhabitats.Orgillnet,trap,orbottomlonglinefishedonsensitiveboulderorcoralreefhabitat.Orbottomseineexceptonmud/sand.Orthereisknowntramplingofcoralreefhabitat.
• 1(High)—Hydraulicclamdredge.Ordredgeortrawlgearfishedonmoderatelysensitivehabitats(e.g.,cobbleorboulder)
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• 0(VeryHigh)—Dredgeortrawlfishedonbiogenichabitat,(e.g.,deep-seacorals,eelgrassandmaerl)
Note:Whenmultiplehabitattypesarecommonlyencountered,and/orthehabitatclassificationisuncertain,thescorewillbebasedonthemostsensitive,plausiblehabitattype.ATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–HANDLINEFACTOR4.1a–ImpactoffishinggearonthesubstrateKeyrelevantinfo:Althoughtheylikelyhaveaminimalimpactonbottomstructure,handlinesareverticallinesthatoccasionallycontacttheseafloorwhenfishingfordemersalspeciessuchascod.WhenapplyingtheSeafoodWatchstandardtothisgeartype,thiscriterionscores‘lowconcern’.Detailedrationale:NAATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–GILLNETFACTOR4.1a–ImpactoffishinggearonthesubstrateKeyrelevantinfo:Althoughtheyareapassivegear,bottomgillnetsmustbeweigheddowninordertosinktothedepthofthetargetedspecies.Theanchors,aswellasthenetsthemselvescomeintodirectcontactwiththeseafloor.Whenconsideringthelocalbottomstructurethatmaybeimpacted,thiscriteriascores‘highconcern’basedontheSeafoodWatchcriteria.Detailedrationale:Gillnetweightswillcontacttheseafloorandleadropesand/orthenetitselfmayinteractwiththebottomaswell.NoinformationregardingthebottomcompositionofexactfishingsiteswasavailablebutdifferenthabitattypeshavebeenidentifiedinthecoastalwatersofBonavistaBay,Newfoundland(partofthe2J3KLregion).Thesehabitattypesinclude:mud,loosegravel,gravel,rock,sparsealgae/cobble,macro-algae,highrelief/deepcobble,andwoodchips;rockwasidentifiedasthedominanttypeinthisarea(Andersonetal.2002).SamplingsurveysusingAtlanticcodgillnetsalsoreportcatchingavarietyofbenthicinvertebrates(seeCriterion2)aswellasthenorthernredanemone(Urticinafelinai)andredsoftcoral(Gersemiarubiformis)(Rouxel2017).Factor4.1bModifyingfactor:MitigationofgearimpactsScoringGuidelines• +1(StrongMitigation)—>50%ofthehabitatisprotectedfromfishingwiththegeartype.Or
fishingintensityisverylow/limitedandfortrawledfisheries,expansionoffishery’sfootprintisprohibited.Orgearisspecificallymodifiedtoreducedamagetoseafloorandmodificationshavebeenshowntobeeffectiveatreducingdamage.Orthereisaneffectivecombinationof‘moderate’mitigationmeasures.
• +0.5(ModerateMitigation)—Atleast20%ofallrepresentativehabitatsareprotectedfromfishingwiththegeartypeandfortrawlfisheries,expansionofthefishery’sfootprintis
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prohibited.Orgearmodificationmeasuresorothermeasuresareinplacetolimitfishingeffort,fishingintensity,andspatialfootprintofdamagecausedfromfishingthatareexpectedtobeeffective.
• 0(NoMitigation)—Noeffectivemeasuresareinplacetolimitgearimpactsonhabitats.• 0(NotApplicable)–Notapplicablebecausegearusedisbenignandreceivedascoreof5in4.1
ATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–HANDLINEANDGILLNETFACTOR4.1b–Modifyingfactor:mitigationoffishinggearimpactsKeyrelevantinfo:Fishingforcodislimitedtocoastalwatersupto12nauticalmilesoffshore(DFO2017b).Thus,duetothesmallspatialfootprintofthestewardshipfisheryforcodrelativetothetotal2J3KLarea,andtheshortfishingseason(i.e.,limitedtofourmonthsannually)thereisnoreasontobelievethisfisheryposesanaboveminimalrisktothebenthicenvironment.Assuch,itreceivesascoreof‘strongmitigation’.Detailedrationale:NAFactor4.2Ecosystem-basedFisheriesManagementScoringGuidelines• 5(VeryLowConcern)—Policiesthathavebeenshowntobeeffectiveareinplacetoprotect
species’ecologicalrolesandecosystemfunctioning(e.g.catchlimitsthatensurespecies’abundanceismaintainedatsufficientlevelstoprovidefoodtopredators)andeffectivespatialmanagementisusedtoprotectspawningandforagingareas,andpreventlocalizeddepletion.Orithasbeenscientificallydemonstratedthatfishingpracticesdonothavenegativeecologicaleffects.
• 4 (Low Concern)—Policies are in place to protect species’ ecological roles and ecosystemfunctioningbuthavenotproventobeeffectiveandatleastsomespatialmanagementisused.
• 3(ModerateConcern)—Policiesarenotinplacetoprotectspecies’ecologicalrolesandecosystemfunctioningbutdetrimentalfoodwebimpactsarenotlikely.
• 2(HighConcern)—Policiesarenotinplacetoprotectspecies’ecologicalrolesandecosystemfunctioningandthelikelihoodofdetrimentalfoodimpactsarelikely(e.g.trophiccascades,alternatestablestates,etc.),butconclusivescientificevidenceisnotavailableforthisfishery.
• 1(VeryHighConcern)—Scientificallydemonstratedtrophiccascades,alternatestablestatesorotherdetrimentalfoodwebimpactareresultingfromthisfishery.
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ATLANTICCOD(2J3KL)–HANDLINEANDGILLNETFACTOR4.2–EcosystembasedfisheriesmanagementKeyrelevantinfo:Currently,somespatialprotectionexistsinthe2J3KLregion(applicabletoallfisheries,notonlycod)toprotectsensitiveareasandthisispartofalargernationalplantoprotect10%ofCanadianwatersby2020.However,asaresultoftheoverexploitationofcodinthepast,theCanadianAtlanticecosystemisbelievedtohaveshifteddramatically.Duetotheuncertaintyaroundhowarecoveredcodstockmayonceagainalterspeciesinteractionsandthelocalenvironmentaswellasthecurrentsituationofthecapelinstock,thiscriterionwasscored‘moderateconcern’.Detailedrationale:ThecollapseofCanada’sAtlanticcodstockshadsubstantialimpactsonthebiodiversityofthelocalecosystemintermsofspeciesabundance,diversity,richnessandevenness(McCainetal2016).Thus,thestabilityofthissystemislikelystilluncertainandascodstocksrecoverunderthecurrentmanagementregime,theincreaseinabundanceofthisbenthicpredatorwilllikelycauseshiftsinthecommunitycompositionandstructureoncemore(andtheimplicationofthisincreaseonboththeecosystemanditsfisheriesremainsunknown).Recentdeclinesincapelinabundance—akeyfoodsourceforcod—warrantincreasedattentionbymanagementandconsiderationofacomprehensiveecosystemapproach,basedontheproductivecapacityoftheeco-region.Atabroaderscale,Canadaseekstomeetatargetof10%MPAcoverageforitswatersby2020(DFO2017d).Withinthe2J3KLregionarethreeMPAswherefishingisprohibited:GilbertBay,RoundIsland,andDuckIsland(DFO2017b).Comparedtothe2J3KLareaasawhole,theseMPAsaresmallandresearchisongoingtomonitortheireffectiveness(DFO2014).ManyofthemanagementconditionspertainingtothestewardshipfisheryaswellasfishinglicensingprotocolsforNewfoundlandandLabradorextendbeyondthecodfisherytootherspeciesandregionsinanefforttoensureallofthefisheriesintheareaaremanagedholistically(DFO2017b,c).
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Acknowledgements
OceanWiseSeafoodwouldliketothankthethreeanonymousreviewersfortheircommentsonthedraft report. We are additionally grateful for the feedback and perspective provided by multiplefisheriesscientistsandENGOcolleaguesduringthemanystagesofthisassessment.
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