MSC Final Report and Determination for US and Canada Pacific Hake Mid‐water Trawl Fishery MRAG Americas, Inc. Mark Pedersen, Max Stocker, and Robert J. Trumble 24 October 2014 CLIENT DETAILS: Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative (PWCC) 4039 21st Avenue West, Suite 400 Seattle, WA 98199 Oregon Trawl Commission 16289 Hwy 101 S, Suite C Brookings, OR 97415, USA Association of Pacific Hake Fishermen (APHF) 2295 Commissioner St Vancouver BC V5L 1A4 Canada Document template tracking no.: MRAG-MSC-7a-v3 MSC reference standards: MSC Standards Version 1.1 MSC Certification Requirements Version 1.3 MSC Guidance for Certification Requirements Version 1.3 Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... 4 2 Authorship and Peer Reviewers ...................................................................................... 4 2.1 Assessment Team ................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Peer Reviewers ....................................................................................................... 5 3 Description of the Fishery ................................................................................................ 6 3.1 Unit(s) of Certification and scope of certification sought ......................................... 6 3.2 Overview of the fishery ............................................................................................ 7 3.2.1 Description of the fishery ..................................................................................... 7 3.2.2 Historical development of the Fishery ................................................................. 9 3.2.3 User rights ......................................................................................................... 10 3.3 Principle One: Target Species Background .......................................................... 14 3.3.1 The Target Species ........................................................................................... 14 3.3.2 Stock Assessment ............................................................................................. 21 3.3.3 2013 Pacific Hake (Whiting) Stock Status ......................................................... 24 3.4 Principle Two: Ecosystem Background ................................................................. 32 3.4.1 Context .............................................................................................................. 32 3.4.2 Bycatch and retained catch ............................................................................... 32 3.4.3 ETP Species ...................................................................................................... 50 3.4.4 Habitat ............................................................................................................... 61 3.4.5 Ecosystem Structure and Function ................................................................... 68 3.5 Principle Three: Management System Background .............................................. 73 3.5.1 Area of operation of the fishery and under which jurisdiction it falls .................. 73 3.5.2 Recognized groups with interests in the fishery ................................................ 75 3.5.3 Consultations leading to the formulation of the management plan ................... 76 3.5.4 Arrangements for on-going consultations with interest groups ......................... 81 3.5.5 Non-fishery users or activities, which could affect the fishery, and arrangements for liaison and co-ordination ........................................................................................... 81 3.5.6 Details of the decision-making process or processes, including the recognized participants .................................................................................................................... 82 3.5.7 Objectives for the fishery ................................................................................... 84 3.5.8 Outline the fleet types or fishing categories participating in the fishery ............. 87 3.5.9 Individuals or groups granted rights of access to the fishery, and the nature of those rights .................................................................................................................... 88 3.5.10 Description of the measures agreed upon for the regulation of fishing in order to meet the objectives within a specified period ............................................................ 88 3.5.11 Arrangements and responsibilities for monitoring, control and surveillance and enforcement ............................................................................................................ 92 3.5.12 Details of any planned education and training for interest groups ................. 94 3.5.13 Date of next review and audit of the management plan ................................ 95 3.5.14 Description of fishery’s research plan............................................................ 96 4 Evaluation Procedure .................................................................................................... 98 4.1 Harmonised Fishery Assessment .......................................................................... 98 Pacific Hake Fishery Final Report 2 4.2 Previous assessments .......................................................................................... 98 4.3 Assessment Methodologies .................................................................................. 99 4.4 Evaluation Processes and Techniques ................................................................. 99 4.5 Site Visits and consultation ................................................................................... 99 4.5.1 Evaluation Techniques .................................................................................... 101 5 Traceability .................................................................................................................. 102 5.1 Eligibility Date ...................................................................................................... 102 5.2 Traceability within the Fishery ............................................................................. 102 5.3 Eligibility to Enter Further Chains of Custody ...................................................... 103 6 Evaluation Results ....................................................................................................... 105 6.1 Principle Level Scores ......................................................................................... 105 6.2 Summary of Scores ............................................................................................. 105 6.3 Summary of Conditions ....................................................................................... 106 6.4 Determination, Formal Conclusion and Agreement ............................................ 106 7 References .................................................................................................................. 108 Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 125 Appendix 1 Catch composition tables ....................................................................................... Appendix 2 Scoring and Rationales .......................................................................................... Appendix 2.1 Performance Indicator Scores and Rationale ............................................ Appendix 2.2 Conditions and Client Action Plan ................................................................... Appendix 3. Peer Review Reports ............................................................................................ Appendix 4. Stakeholder submissions ...................................................................................... Appendix 5. Surveillance Frequency ........................................................................................ Appendix 6. Client Agreement .................................................................................................. Appendix 6.1 Objections Process ......................................................................................... Pacific Hake Fishery Final Report 3 1 Executive Summary An assessment team of Mark Pedersen, Max Stocker, and Robert J. Trumble conducted the assessment using CR v1.3. The assessment team met with scientists, managers, and other stakeholders from the US and Canada from 20-22 November 2014 in person and by teleconference in Seattle and by teleconference on 25 and 26 November 2014. The fisheries of the US and Canada for Pacific Hake are exceptionally well managed and are characterized by state of the art stock assessments and harvest strategies designed and implemented jointly. The stock is in good condition. Both countries implement high levels of control over the fisheries to minimize environmental impacts. The overarching legislation and regulation affecting Principle 1 and Principle 2 are highly developed, and applied specifically to the fisheries. On the basis of this re-assessment of the fisheries, the Assessment Team recommends that the US and Canadian fisheries for Pacific Hake maintain certification. The US fishery received no conditions, but the team identified two performance indicators for the Canadian fishery that scored less than 80 and received conditions: