Atlantic Cod and Pollock (Canada) Gadus Morhua, Pollachius Virens FT

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Atlantic Cod and Pollock (Canada) Gadus Morhua, Pollachius Virens FT Atlantic Cod and Pollock (Canada) Gadus morhua, Pollachius virens FT A R Atlantic, Northwest Handlines and hand-operatedD pole-and-lines, Set gillnets, Set longlines, Bottom trawls Seafood Watch Consulting Researcher Draft Report - June 2021 Seafood Watch Standard used in this assessment: Fisheries Standard v4 Disclaimer Seafood Watch strives to have all Seafood Reports reviewed for accuracy and completeness by external scientists with expertise in ecology, fisheries science and 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. Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 About Seafood Watch 3 Guiding Principles 4 Summary 5 Final Seafood Recommendations 7 Introduction 9 Criterion 1: Impacts on the species under assessment 11 Criterion 1 Summary 11 Criterion 1 Assessments 12 Criterion 2: Impacts on Other Species 24 Criterion 2 Summary 24 Criterion 2 Assessment 30 Criterion 3: Management Effectiveness 95 Criterion 3 Summary 95 Criterion 3 Assessment 96 Criterion 4: Impacts on the Habitat and Ecosystem 105 Criterion 4 Summary 105 Criterion 4 Assessment 106 Acknowledgements 111 References FT 112 A R D 2 About Seafood Watch Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program evaluates the ecological sustainability of wild-caught and farmed seafood commonly found in the United States marketplace. Seafood Watch defines sustainable seafood as originating from sources, whether wild-caught or farmed, which can maintain or increase production in the long-term without jeopardizing the structure or function of affected ecosystems. Seafood Watch makes its science-based recommendations available to the public in the form of regional pocket guides that can be downloaded from www.seafoodwatch.org. The program’s goals are to raise awareness of important ocean conservation issues and empower seafood consumers and businesses to make choices for healthy oceans. Each sustainability recommendation on the regional pocket guides is supported by a Seafood Watch Assessment. Each assessment synthesizes and analyzes the most current ecological, fisheries and ecosystem science on a species, then evaluates this information against the program’s conservation ethic to arrive at a recommendation of “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives” or “Avoid.” This ethic is operationalized in the Seafood Watch standards, available on our website here. In producing the assessments, Seafood Watch seeks out research published in academic, peer-reviewed journals whenever possible. Other sources of information include government technical publications, fishery management plans and supporting documents, and other scientific reviews of ecological sustainability. Seafood Watch Research Analysts also communicate regularly with ecologists, fisheries and aquaculture scientists, and members of industry and conservation organizations when evaluating fisheries and aquaculture practices. Capture fisheries and aquaculture practices are highly dynamic; as the scientific information on each species changes, Seafood Watch’s sustainability recommendations and the underlying assessments will be updated to reflect these changes. T Parties interested in capture fisheries, aquaculture practices and the sustainability of ocean ecosystems are welcome to use Seafood Watch assessments in any way they find useful. F A R D 3 Guiding Principles Seafood Watch defines sustainable seafood as originating from sources, whether fished1 or farmed that can maintain or increase production in the long-term without jeopardizing the structure or function of affected ecosystems. The following guiding principles illustrate the qualities that fisheries must possess to be considered sustainable by the Seafood Watch program (these are explained further in the Seafood Watch Standard for Fisheries): Follow the principles of ecosystem-based fisheries management. Ensure all affected stocks are healthy and abundant. Fish all affected stocks at sustainable levels. Minimize bycatch. Have no more than a negligible impact on any threatened, endangered or protected species. Managed to sustain the long-term productivity of all affected species. Avoid negative impacts on the structure, function or associated biota of aquatic habitats where fishing occurs. Maintain the trophic role of all aquatic life. Do not result in harmful ecological changes such as reduction of dependent predator populations, trophic cascades, or phase shifts. Ensure that any enhancement activities and fishing activities on enhanced stocks do not negatively affect the diversity, abundance, productivity, or genetic integrity of wild stocks. These guiding principles are operationalized in the four criteria in this standard.T Each criterion includes: Factors to evaluate and score Guidelines for integrating these factors to produce a numericalF score and rating Once a rating has been assigned to each criterion, we develop an overall recommendation. Criteria ratings and the overall recommendation are color coded to correspond to theA categories on the Seafood Watch pocket guide and online guide: Best Choice/Green: Buy first; they're well managedR and caught or farmed responsibly. Good Alternative/Yellow: Buy, but be aware there are concerns with how they're caught, farmed or managed. Avoid/Red: Take a pass on these forD now; they're overfished, lack strong management or are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment. 1 “Fish” is used throughout this document to refer to finfish, shellfish and other invertebrates 4 Summary There are many commercially important groundfish species caught in the Northwest Atlantic by Canadian and U.S. fleets. This report focuses on two gadoid species landed and sold in the U.S. and Canadian markets. The scope of the analysis and ensuing recommendations includes Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Atlantic pollock (Pollachius virens) fisheries in the Canadian Northwest Atlantic. Both species are harvested mainly with gillnets, longlines, bottom trawl gears and hand line: for cod, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Newfoundland and Labrador Grand Banks; and for pollock, in the Scotian Shelf, and eastern Georges Bank. This report centers on cod stocks 3Ps and 3Pn4RS and pollock stock 4VWX +5 (primarily the Western Component) because these fisheries are the most active of the cod and pollock commercial fisheries. In general, gadoids have a medium to high vulnerability to fishing pressure. Due to heavy fishing pressure, these fish have experienced a decrease in size and age at maturity, which may be adversely impacting recruitment and natural mortality. In addition, heavy exploitation and poor management led to the catastrophic collapse of cod stocks and severe depletion of pollock stocks (along with other commercially important groundfish species) in the early 1990s, leading to various fishery moratoria on different stocks throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. Despite extensive efforts in management and science, the cod stocks are seeing little to no recovery (although recent assessments of cod in the 3Ps management area suggest that abundance is increasing off southern Newfoundland). Cod has been determined to be Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Pollock abundance relative to reference points is unknown and no status determination has been completed by COSEWIC. Retained and bycatch species that are analyzed in this assessment have been chosen based on either their contribution of catch in the cod- and pollock-directed groundfish fisheries or their conservation status (e.g., endangered, threatened, overfished). Cod and pollock are targeted mainly by Bottom trawls, longlines, gillnets, and handline—all of which are considered highly unselective gears (with respect to species caught). Bottom trawls and gillnets in particular are not very discriminating gears, so their impacts on habitat and their bycatch are significant. The quantity ofT bycatch that is frequently caught and discarded is significant, but the more pressing concern is the number of at-risk species that could be and frequently are incidentally captured by these fisheries. The endangered and threatened species and species of special concern that have interactions with at least two of the gear types include harbor porpoises (PhocoenaF phocoena), North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), leatherback turtles (Dermochyles coriacea), three species of wolffish (Anarchias minor, Anarchias lupus, and Anarchias denticulatus), thorny skates (Amblyraja radiata), winter skates (Leucoraja ocellata), barndoor skates (Dipturus laevis), cusk (Brosme brosme), and dogfish (Squalus acanthias).A Because cod is one of the most common bycatch species in groundfish fisheries, there are technological and managerial mitigation efforts to reduce cod bycatch. It is mandatory to land all groundfish unless they are below a minimum size and they have a Small Fish Protocol in place. But there is little information on discard and mortality Rrates in these fisheries, which makes it difficult to assess the magnitude of the problem. Canada’s Department of Fisheries and OceansD (DFO) is responsible for managing the cod and pollock stocks in Canadian waters. DFO manages fisheries through the implementation of Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMP). The IFMPs are drafted by DFO in collaboration with stakeholders and through consultation
Recommended publications
  • Characterization of Effluent from an Inland, Low- Salinity Shrimp Farm
    Aquacultural Engineering 27 (2003) 147Á/156 www.elsevier.com/locate/aqua-online Characterization of effluent from an inland, low- salinity shrimp farm: what contribution could this water make if used for irrigation Dennis McIntosh ,Kevin Fitzsimmons Environmental Research Lab, University of Arizona, 2601 East Airport Drive, Tucson, AZ 85706, USA Received 7 July 2002; accepted 7 October 2002 Abstract Coastal aquaculture can contribute to eutrophication of receiving waters. New technologies and improved management practices allow the aquaculture industry to be more sustainable and economically viable. Current practices, however, do not provide an additional use for effluent water. Nitrogen, phosphorus and other effluent compounds could be valuable plant nutrients. Inflow and effluent water from an inland, low-salinity shrimp farm, were monitored. Bi-weekly analysis included total nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, nitrite-nitrogen, nitrate- nitrogen, total phosphorus, reactive phosphorus, alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS), as well as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and pH. Alkalinity and total nitrogen decreased during the in-pond residency. The other parameters increased while in the ponds. The potential benefit of having nutrient enriched wastewater to irrigate field crops was substantial, supplying between 20 and 31% of the necessary nitrogen fertilizer for wheat production. # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Inland aquaculture; Integration; Arizona; Marine shrimp Corresponding author. Tel.: /1-520-626-3318; fax: /1-520-573-0852 E-mail address: [email protected] (D. McIntosh). 0144-8609/02/$ - see front matter # 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 4 4 - 8 6 0 9 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 0 5 4 - 7 148 D.
    [Show full text]
  • FISH LIST WISH LIST: a Case for Updating the Canadian Government’S Guidance for Common Names on Seafood
    FISH LIST WISH LIST: A case for updating the Canadian government’s guidance for common names on seafood Authors: Christina Callegari, Scott Wallace, Sarah Foster and Liane Arness ISBN: 978-1-988424-60-6 © SeaChoice November 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY . 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . 4 Findings . 5 Recommendations . 6 INTRODUCTION . 7 APPROACH . 8 Identification of Canadian-caught species . 9 Data processing . 9 REPORT STRUCTURE . 10 SECTION A: COMMON AND OVERLAPPING NAMES . 10 Introduction . 10 Methodology . 10 Results . 11 Snapper/rockfish/Pacific snapper/rosefish/redfish . 12 Sole/flounder . 14 Shrimp/prawn . 15 Shark/dogfish . 15 Why it matters . 15 Recommendations . 16 SECTION B: CANADIAN-CAUGHT SPECIES OF HIGHEST CONCERN . 17 Introduction . 17 Methodology . 18 Results . 20 Commonly mislabelled species . 20 Species with sustainability concerns . 21 Species linked to human health concerns . 23 Species listed under the U .S . Seafood Import Monitoring Program . 25 Combined impact assessment . 26 Why it matters . 28 Recommendations . 28 SECTION C: MISSING SPECIES, MISSING ENGLISH AND FRENCH COMMON NAMES AND GENUS-LEVEL ENTRIES . 31 Introduction . 31 Missing species and outdated scientific names . 31 Scientific names without English or French CFIA common names . 32 Genus-level entries . 33 Why it matters . 34 Recommendations . 34 CONCLUSION . 35 REFERENCES . 36 APPENDIX . 39 Appendix A . 39 Appendix B . 39 FISH LIST WISH LIST: A case for updating the Canadian government’s guidance for common names on seafood 2 GLOSSARY The terms below are defined to aid in comprehension of this report. Common name — Although species are given a standard Scientific name — The taxonomic (Latin) name for a species. common name that is readily used by the scientific In nomenclature, every scientific name consists of two parts, community, industry has adopted other widely used names the genus and the specific epithet, which is used to identify for species sold in the marketplace.
    [Show full text]
  • Cod Fact Sheet
    R FACT SHEET Cod (Gadus morhua) Image taken from (Cohen et al. 1990) Introduction Cod (Gadus morhua) is generally considered a demersal fish although its habitat may become pelagic under certain hydrographic conditions, when feeding or spawning. It is widely distributed throughout the north Atlantic and Arctic regions in a variety of habitats from shoreline to continental shelf, in depths to 600m (Cohen et al. 1990). The Irish Sea stock spawns at two main sites in the western and eastern Irish Sea during February to April (Armstrong et al. 2011). Historically the stock has been commercially important, however in the last decade a decline in SSB and reduced productivity of the stock have led to reduce landings. Reviewed distribution map for Gadus morhua (Atlantic cod), with modelled year 2100 native range map based on IPCC A2 emissions scenario. www.aquamaps.org, version of Aug. 2013. Web. Accessed 28 Jan. 2011 Life history overview Adults are usually found in deeper, colder waters. During the day they form schools and swim about 30-80 m above the bottom, dispersing at night to feed (Cohen et al. 1990; ICES 2005). They are omnivorous; feeding at dawn or dusk on invertebrates and fish, including their own young (Cohen et al. 1990). Adults migrate between spawning, feeding and overwintering areas, mostly within the boundaries of the respective stocks. Large migrations are rare occurrences, although there is evidence for limited seasonal migrations into neighbouring regions, most Irish Sea fish will stay within their management area (ICES 2012). Historical tagging studies indicated spawning site fidelity but with varying degrees of mixing of cod between the Irish Sea, Celtic Sea and west of Scotland/north of Ireland (ICES 2015).
    [Show full text]
  • Pleuronectidae, Poecilopsettidae, Achiridae, Cynoglossidae
    1536 Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (Linnaeus, 1758) Pleuronectidae Witch flounder Range: Both sides of North Atlantic Ocean; in the western North Atlantic from Strait of Belle Isle to Cape Hatteras Habitat: Moderately deep water (mostly 45–330 m), deepest in southern part of range; found on mud, muddy sand or clay substrates Spawning: May–Oct in Gulf of Maine; Apr–Oct on Georges Bank; Feb–Jul Meristic Characters in Middle Atlantic Bight Myomeres: 58–60 Vertebrae: 11–12+45–47=56–59 Eggs: – Pelagic, spherical Early eggs similar in size Dorsal fin rays: 97–117 – Diameter: 1.2–1.6 mm to those of Gadus morhua Anal fin rays: 86–102 – Chorion: smooth and Melanogrammus aeglefinus Pectoral fin rays: 9–13 – Yolk: homogeneous Pelvic fin rays: 6/6 – Oil globules: none Caudal fin rays: 20–24 (total) – Perivitelline space: narrow Larvae: – Hatching occurs at 4–6 mm; eyes unpigmented – Body long, thin and transparent; preanus length (<33% TL) shorter than in Hippoglossoides or Hippoglossus – Head length increases from 13% SL at 6 mm to 22% SL at 42 mm – Body depth increases from 9% SL at 6 mm to 30% SL at 42 mm – Preopercle spines: 3–4 occur on posterior edge, 5–6 on lateral ridge at about 16 mm, increase to 17–19 spines – Flexion occurs at 14–20 mm; transformation occurs at 22–35 mm (sometimes delayed to larger sizes) – Sequence of fin ray formation: C, D, A – P2 – P1 – Pigment intensifies with development: 6 bands on body and fins, 3 major, 3 minor (see table below) Glyptocephalus cynoglossus Hippoglossoides platessoides Total myomeres 58–60 44–47 Preanus length <33%TL >35%TL Postanal pigment bars 3 major, 3 minor 3 with light scattering between Finfold pigment Bars extend onto finfold None Flexion size 14–20 mm 9–19 mm Ventral pigment Scattering anterior to anus Line from anus to isthmus Early Juvenile: Occurs in nursery habitats on continental slope E.
    [Show full text]
  • A Practical Handbook for Determining the Ages of Gulf of Mexico And
    A Practical Handbook for Determining the Ages of Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast Fishes THIRD EDITION GSMFC No. 300 NOVEMBER 2020 i Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission Commissioners and Proxies ALABAMA Senator R.L. “Bret” Allain, II Chris Blankenship, Commissioner State Senator District 21 Alabama Department of Conservation Franklin, Louisiana and Natural Resources John Roussel Montgomery, Alabama Zachary, Louisiana Representative Chris Pringle Mobile, Alabama MISSISSIPPI Chris Nelson Joe Spraggins, Executive Director Bon Secour Fisheries, Inc. Mississippi Department of Marine Bon Secour, Alabama Resources Biloxi, Mississippi FLORIDA Read Hendon Eric Sutton, Executive Director USM/Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Florida Fish and Wildlife Ocean Springs, Mississippi Conservation Commission Tallahassee, Florida TEXAS Representative Jay Trumbull Carter Smith, Executive Director Tallahassee, Florida Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas LOUISIANA Doug Boyd Jack Montoucet, Secretary Boerne, Texas Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Baton Rouge, Louisiana GSMFC Staff ASMFC Staff Mr. David M. Donaldson Mr. Bob Beal Executive Director Executive Director Mr. Steven J. VanderKooy Mr. Jeffrey Kipp IJF Program Coordinator Stock Assessment Scientist Ms. Debora McIntyre Dr. Kristen Anstead IJF Staff Assistant Fisheries Scientist ii A Practical Handbook for Determining the Ages of Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast Fishes Third Edition Edited by Steve VanderKooy Jessica Carroll Scott Elzey Jessica Gilmore Jeffrey Kipp Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission 2404 Government St Ocean Springs, MS 39564 and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 1050 N. Highland Street Suite 200 A-N Arlington, VA 22201 Publication Number 300 November 2020 A publication of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award Number NA15NMF4070076 and NA15NMF4720399.
    [Show full text]
  • Undesirable Substances in Seafood Products – Results from Monitoring Activities in 2006
    Undesirable substances in seafood products – Results from monitoring activities in 2006 Ásta Margrét Ásmundsdóttir Vordís Baldursdóttir Sasan Rabieh Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir Matvælaöryggi Skýrsla Matís 17-08 Júlí 2008 ISSN 1670-7192 Titill / Title Undesirable substances in seafood products– results from the monitoring activities in 2006 Höfundar / Authors Ásta Margrét Ásmundsdóttir, Vordís Baldursdóttir, Sasan Rabieh, Helga Gunnlaugsdóttir Skýrsla / Report no. 17 - 08 Útgáfudagur / Date: Júlí 2008 Verknr. / project no. 1687 Styrktaraðilar / funding: Ministry of fisheries Ágrip á íslensku: Árið 2003 hófst, að frumkvæði Sjávarútvegsráðuneytisins, vöktun á óæskilegum efnum í sjávarafurðum, bæði afurðum sem ætlaðar eru til manneldis sem og afurðum lýsis- og mjöliðnaðar. Tilgangurinn með vöktuninni er að meta ástand íslenskra sjávarafurða með tilliti til magns aðskotaefna. Gögnin sem safnað er í vöktunarverkefninu verða einnig notuð í áhættumati og til að hafa áhrif á setningu hámarksgilda óæskilegra efna t.d í Evrópu. Umfjöllun um aðskotaefni í sjávarafurðum, bæði í almennum fjölmiðlum og í vísindaritum, hefur margoft krafist viðbragða íslenskra stjórnvalda. Nauðsynlegt er að hafa til taks vísindaniðurstöður sem sýna fram á raunverulegt ástand íslenskra sjávarafurða til þess að koma í veg fyrir tjón sem af slíkri umfjöllun getur hlotist. Ennfremur eru mörk aðskotaefna í sífelldri endurskoðun og er mikilvægt fyrir Íslendinga að taka þátt í slíkri endurskoðun og styðja mál sitt með vísindagögnum. Þetta sýnir mikilvægi þess að regluleg vöktun fari fram og að á Íslandi séu stundaðar sjálfstæðar rannsóknir á eins mikilvægum málaflokki og mengun sjávarafurða er. Þessi skýrsla er samantekt niðurstaðna vöktunarinnar árið 2006. Það er langtímamarkmið að meta ástand íslenskra sjávarafurða m.t.t. magns óæskilegra efna. Þessu markmiði verður einungis náð með sívirkri vöktun í langan tíma.
    [Show full text]
  • Do Some Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Skip Spawning?
    SCRS/2006/088 Col. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT, 60(4): 1141-1153 (2007) DO SOME ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA SKIP SPAWNING? David H. Secor1 SUMMARY During the spawning season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, some adults occur outside known spawning centers, suggesting either unknown spawning regions, or fundamental errors in our current understanding of bluefin tuna reproductive schedules. Based upon recent scientific perspectives, skipped spawning (delayed maturation and non-annual spawning) is possibly prevalent in moderately long-lived marine species like bluefin tuna. In principle, skipped spawning represents a trade-off between current and future reproduction. By foregoing reproduction, an individual can incur survival and growth benefits that accrue in deferred reproduction. Across a range of species, skipped reproduction was positively correlated with longevity, but for non-sturgeon species, adults spawned at intervals at least once every two years. A range of types of skipped spawning (constant, younger, older, event skipping; and delays in first maturation) was modeled for the western Atlantic bluefin tuna population to test for their effects on the egg-production-per-recruit biological reference point (stipulated at 20% and 40%). With the exception of extreme delays in maturation, skipped spawning had relatively small effect in depressing fishing mortality (F) threshold values. This was particularly true in comparison to scenarios of a juvenile fishery (ages 4-7), which substantially depressed threshold F values. Indeed, recent F estimates for 1990-2002 western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock assessments were in excess of threshold F values when juvenile size classes were exploited. If western bluefin tuna are currently maturing at an older age than is currently assessed (i.e., 10 v.
    [Show full text]
  • A Concept for Assuring the Quality of Seafoods to Consumers
    MFR PAPER 1276 Table I.-The approximate shelf life of cod fillets (Ronalvalll et aI., 1973). Temperalure Approximate OF 0C shelf file (days) 32 0 14 A Concept for Assuring the Quality of 34 1.11 11 37 2.78 8 39 3.89 7 Seafoods to Consumers 41 5.00 6 44 6.67 5 49 9.44 4 56 13.30 3 L. J. RONSIVALLI, C. GORGA, J. D. KAYLOR, and J. H. CARVER at 31°_33°F (-0.56°-0.56°C) is about 2 weeks from the time they are har­ vested. (The shelf life of a product, in ABSTRACT - For more than a decade numerous surveys of the quality of this case, ends when it becomes unac­ seafoods at retail counters have resulted in consistent adverse reports, and it has ceptable as a food; that is, the total time been concluded that the unreliability of the quality of seafoods is the major reason it takes for the product to change from why their per capita consumption is so much lower than it is for beef, pork, or Grade A to Grade B to Grade C and then poultry. A concept for insuring the Grade A quality ofseafoods was developed and to the point just before it becomes unac­ tested in an attempt to demonstrate that the consumption offresh fish will increase ceptable.)' It has been established that when their quality and image are improved. This paper describes the concept, its the shelf life of fresh seafoods is af­ implementation under federal coordination, and its successful implementation by fected mainly by the temperature at industry which has grown from a pilot operation involving five retail stores and which they are held (Table 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Our Nation's Fisheries Will Be a Lot Easier Once We've Used up Everything Except Jellyfish!
    Mismanaging Our Nation’s Fisheriesa menu of what's missing Limited quantity: get ‘em while supplies last Ted Stevens Alaskan Surprise Due to years of overfishing, we probably won’t be serving up Pacific Ocean perch, Tanner crab, Greenland turbot or rougheye rockfish. They may be a little hard to swallow, but Senator Stevens and the North Pacific Council will be sure to offer last minute riders, father and son sweetheart deals, record-breaking quotas, industry-led research, conflicts of interest and anti-trust violations. Meanwhile, fur seals, sea lions and sea otters are going hungry and disappearing fast. Surprise! Pacific Rockfish: See No Fish, Eat No Fish Cowcod, Canary Rockfish and Bocaccio are just three examples of rockfish managed by the Pacific Council that are overfished. As for the exact number of West Coast groundfish that are overfished, who knows? Without surveys to tell them what’s going on, what are they managing exactly? Striped Bass: Thin Is In! This popular Atlantic rockfish is available in abundance. Unfortunately, many appear to be undernourished and suffering from lesions – a condition that may point to Omega Protein’s industrial fishery of menhaden, the striper’s favorite prey species. Actually, you may want to hold off on this one until ASMFC starts regulating menhaden. Can you believe there are still no catch limits? Red Snapper Bycatch Platter While we are unable to provide full-size red snapper, we offer this plate of twenty juvenile red snapper discarded as bycatch from a Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawler for your dining pleasure. Shrimpers take and throw away about half of all young red snappers along the Texas coast, so we’ll keep these little guys coming straight from the back of the boat to the back of your throat! Caribbean Reef Fish Grab Bag What’s for dinner from the Caribbean? Who knows? With coral reefs in their jurisdiction, you would expect the Caribbean Council to be pioneering the ecosystem-based management approach and implementing the precautionary principle approach.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Wolffish,Anarhichas Denticulatus
    COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Northern Wolffish Anarhichas denticulatus in Canada THREATENED 2012 COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows: COSEWIC. 2012. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Northern Wolffish Anarhichas denticulatus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. x + 41 pp. (www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm) Previous report(s): COSEWIC. 2001. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the northern wolffish Anarhichas denticulatus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 21 pp. (www.sararegistry.gc.ca/status/status_e.cfm) O’Dea, N.R., and R.L. Haedrich. 2001. COSEWIC status report on the northern wolffish Anarhichas denticulatus in Canada, in COSEWIC assessment and status report on the northern wolffish Anarhichas denticulatus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-21 pp. Production note: COSEWIC would like to acknowledge Red Méthot for writing the status report on the Northern Wolffish, Anarhichas denticulatus in Canada, prepared under contract with Environment Canada. The report was overseen and edited by John Reynolds, COSEWIC Marine Fishes Specialist Subcommittee Co-chair. For additional copies contact: COSEWIC Secretariat c/o Canadian Wildlife Service Environment Canada Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Tel.: 819-953-3215 Fax: 819-994-3684 E-mail: COSEWIC/[email protected] http://www.cosewic.gc.ca Également disponible en français sous le titre Ếvaluation et Rapport de situation du COSEPAC sur le Loup à tête large (Anarhichas denticulatus) au Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • (Anarhichas Lupus) and Spotted Wolffish (Anarhichas Minor) in West Greenland Waters
    NAFO SCI. Coun. Studies, 12: 13-20 Distribution, Abundance and Migration of Atlantic Wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) and Spotted Wolffish (Anarhichas minor) in West Greenland Waters Frank Riget Greenland Fisheries and Environment Research Institute Tagensvej 135, Copenhagen N, Denmark and J. Messtorff Bundesforschungsanstalt fUr Fischerei, Institut fUr Seefischerei 0-2850 Bremerhaven, Federal Republic of Germany Abstract Results from stratified-random bottom-trawl surveys off West Greenland during the autumns of 1982-86 indicated substantial decline in biomass and abundance of both Atlantic wolffish and spotted wolffish. Atlantic wolffish were the more abundant of the two species, with the catch rate generally decreasing from north to south, and occurred mainly in the 0-200 and 200-400 m depth ranges. Spotted wolffish, on the other hand, were rather uniformly distributed over the three depth ranges (to 600 m) and also over the north-south strata. Mean lengths of both species tended to increase from north to south. Reported recaptures from the taggings, during 1955-64, of 174 Atlantic wolffish and 746 spotted wolffish were 2 and 53 respectively. The two Atlantic wolffish were taken in the vicinity of the tagging site about 2 years after they were tagged. Spotted wolffish exhibited rather stationary behavior, with most recaptures generally within 20 nautical miles (nm) of the tagging sites up to 10 years after they were tagged. Only three spotted wolffish were found more than 100 nm from the tagging sites, two southward and one northward. Analysis of long line catches of spotted wolffish in the Nuuk area indicated local seasonal movements. Introduction experiments.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Stages of Fishes in the Western North Atlantic Ocean Volume
    ISBN 0-9689167-4-x Early Stages of Fishes in the Western North Atlantic Ocean (Davis Strait, Southern Greenland and Flemish Cap to Cape Hatteras) Volume One Acipenseriformes through Syngnathiformes Michael P. Fahay ii Early Stages of Fishes in the Western North Atlantic Ocean iii Dedication This monograph is dedicated to those highly skilled larval fish illustrators whose talents and efforts have greatly facilitated the study of fish ontogeny. The works of many of those fine illustrators grace these pages. iv Early Stages of Fishes in the Western North Atlantic Ocean v Preface The contents of this monograph are a revision and update of an earlier atlas describing the eggs and larvae of western Atlantic marine fishes occurring between the Scotian Shelf and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (Fahay, 1983). The three-fold increase in the total num- ber of species covered in the current compilation is the result of both a larger study area and a recent increase in published ontogenetic studies of fishes by many authors and students of the morphology of early stages of marine fishes. It is a tribute to the efforts of those authors that the ontogeny of greater than 70% of species known from the western North Atlantic Ocean is now well described. Michael Fahay 241 Sabino Road West Bath, Maine 04530 U.S.A. vi Acknowledgements I greatly appreciate the help provided by a number of very knowledgeable friends and colleagues dur- ing the preparation of this monograph. Jon Hare undertook a painstakingly critical review of the entire monograph, corrected omissions, inconsistencies, and errors of fact, and made suggestions which markedly improved its organization and presentation.
    [Show full text]