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White Hake U.S. Atlantic White Hake Urophycis tenuis ©B. Guild Gillespie/www.chartingnature.com U.S. Atlantic Bottom Gillnet, Bottom Trawl November 19, 2013 Sam Wilding, Seafood Watch Staff Disclaimer Seafood Watch® strives to ensure all our Seafood Reports and the recommendations contained therein are accurate and reflect the most up‐to‐date evidence available at time of publication. All our reports are peer‐ reviewed for accuracy and completeness by external scientists with expertise in ecology, fisheries science or aquaculture. Scientific review, however, does not constitute an endorsement of the Seafood Watch program or its recommendations on the part of the reviewing scientists. Seafood Watch is solely responsible for the conclusions reached in this report. We always welcome additional or updated data that can be used for the next revision. Seafood Watch and Seafood Reports are made possible through a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. 2 Final Seafood Recommendation Stock / Fishery Impacts on Impacts on Management Habitat and Overall the Stock Other Spp. Ecosystem Recommendation White hake Green (3.83) Red (1.27) Yellow (3.00) Yellow (2.60) Good Alternative United States Northwest (2.483) Atlantic–Large‐Mesh Bottom Trawl White hake Green (3.83) Red (1.34) Yellow (3.00) Yellow (3.12) Good Alternative United States Northwest (2.635) Atlantic–Large‐Mesh Bottom Gillnet White hake Green (3.83) Red (1.34) Yellow (3.00) Yellow (3.12) Good Alternative United States Northwest (2.635) Atlantic–Longline, Bottom Scoring note – Scores range from zero to five where zero indicates very poor performance and five indicates the fishing operations have no significant impact. Final Score = geometric mean of the four Scores (Criterion 1, Criterion 2, Criterion 3, Criterion 4). Best Choice = Final Score between 3.2 and 5, and no Red Criteria, and no Critical scores Good Alternative = Final score between 2.2 and 3.199, and Management is not Red, and no more than one Red Criterion other than Management, and no Critical scores Avoid = Final Score between 0 and 2.199, or Management is Red, or two or more Red Criteria, or one or more Critical scores. 3 Executive Summary This report is for white hake (Urophycis tenuis), one of 15 groundfish species managed under the New England Fishery Management Council’s (NEFMC) Multispecies Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), also known as the Northeast Multispecies FMP. White hake occur from Southern New England to Newfoundland and are common on the muddy bottom throughout the Gulf of Maine. White hake are caught primarily in the large‐mesh bottom otter trawl fishery in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. Approximately 25% of annual landings are caught with large‐mesh sink gill nets and bottom longlines account for less than one percent of landings. Based upon the most recent assessment in February 2013, white hake is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. This is a change from the previous assessment in 2008, which found that white hake was overfished with overfishing occurring since 1998. The 2013 assessment is considered the best available data regarding the white hake stock status; however, the conclusions that white hake are abundant and not experiencing overfishing are uncertain. At their April 2013 meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council requested that NOAA Fisheries incorporate the new assessment and increase the 2013 catch limit 13% to provide additional opportunities for the groundfish fleet. Numerous species in the multispecies FMP are caught in Northwest Atlantic large‐mesh large‐ mesh otter trawl, large‐mesh sink gillnet, and bottom longline fisheries. In general, the main species (> 5% of total catch by weight in 2010) of species in the NE multispecies FMP include: Atlantic cod (both Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine), Georges Bank haddock, pollock, and Acadian redfish. Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine cod are recognized as overfished and overfishing is occurring. The trawl fishery also catches yellowtail flounder and witch flounder, both of which are also listed as overfished with overfishing occurring. Marine mammal bycatch in the fisheries is generally low, but the set gill net fishery is listed as a Category I fishery based on mortalities and serious injuries to harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Gulf of Maine (a Stock of Concern). The bottom trawl fishery is a Category II fishery based upon the interactions with white‐sided dolphin. There is no estimate of seabird bycatch for the fisheries, but observed take has included greater shearwaters. Discard rates are different for each fishery. In 2005, the most recent data available, the discard rate was estimated at 43% for the bottom trawl fishery, and 28% for the sink gill net fishery, and 28% for the bottom longline fishery. For the three fisheries, the harvest strategy for retained species and management strategy for bycatch are considered to be of ‘Moderate Concern.’ White hake were declared overfished in 4 1999. In 2013 their status was changed to ‘Not Overfished’ based upon a new stock assessment, however, multiple species caught in the fisheries continue to be considered overfished with overfishing occurring. Multiple FMPs regulate the catch in both the bottom trawl and sink gill net fisheries. There are various levels of effectiveness for each FMP. All three fisheries interact with several bycatch species of concern. Management has implemented numerous regulations to reduce bycatch of protected species, but the effectiveness remains debated. The majority of the white hake fishery is landed using bottom otter trawls; a smaller percentage (25%) uses sink gill nets, and an even smaller percentage (<1%) is caught with bottom longlines. The effects of bottom trawls on seafloor habitat are well documented in numerous studies and they are consistently recognized as one of the most damaging gear types with impacts on a wide range of habitats. The habitat in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank consists primarily of sandy/silty clay sediments and sand/gravelly sand, respectively. The impact of trawls on these sediment types is considered moderate. Sink gill nets and bottom longlines are considered a Low Concern on soft habitat types. The bottom trawl, set gill net, and longline fisheries have ongoing, effective measures to reduce fishing effort and the spatial footprint of the fishery via area closures and days‐at‐sea limits. The impacts on the ecosystem and the food web from the white hake fishery are considered a Moderate Concern based upon the recent development of an implementation plan for ecosystem‐based fisheries management (EBFM) by the New England Fishery Management Council. 5 Table of Contents Final Seafood Recommendation ................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Analysis ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 Criterion 1: Stock for Which You Want a Recommendation ................................................................................... 10 Criterion 2: Impacts on Other Retained and Bycatch Stocks ................................................................................... 14 Criterion 3: Management Effectiveness .................................................................................................................. 90 Criterion 4: Impacts on the Habitat and Ecosystem .............................................................................................. 104 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... 110 References ............................................................................................................................................... 111 Review Schedule ....................................................................................................................................... 118 Appendix A: ............................................................................................................................................... 119 About Seafood Watch® ............................................................................................................................. 121 Guiding Principles ..................................................................................................................................... 122 6 Introduction Scope of the Analysis and Ensuing Recommendation This report is on white hake (Urophycis tenuis), which ranges from Southern New England to Newfoundland and is common on the muddy bottom throughout the Gulf of Maine (Bigelow & Schroder 1953; Klein‐MacPhee 2002; Ames 2012). White hake is caught incidentally in directed fisheries for other demersal species or as an intended component in mixed species fisheries (Sosebee 2006a). White hake is primarily caught in the large‐mesh bottom trawl fishery in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. Sink‐gill nets account for approximately 25% of annual landings (Butterworth et al. 2008). Bottom longlines, historically once a higher percentage of landings, currently
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