Report of the Technical Subcommittee of the Canada-United States Groundfish Committee Forty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the TSC May 6-7, 2008 Seattle, Washington Appointed by the Second Conference on Coordination of Fisheries Regulations between Canada and the United States Compiled by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission History of TSC Meeting Locations, Hosts and Chairpersons YEAR DATES LOCATION HOST CHAIR 1984 June 20-22 British Columbia Westrheim Rigby 1985 June 25-27 Juneau, AK Morrison Westrheim 1986 June 19-19 Ashland, OR Demory Westrheim 1987 June 9-11 Seattle, WA Jagielo Demory 1988 June 7-9 Carmel, CA Henry Demory 1989 June 6-9 Ladysmith, BC Saunders Jagielo 1990 June 5-7 Sitka, AK Bracken Jagielo 1991 June 4-6 Newport, OR Barss Wilkins 1992 May 5-7 Seattle, WA Jagielo Wilkins 1993 May 5-7 Point Lobos, CA Thomas Saunders 1994 May 3-5 Nanaimo, BC Saunders Saunders 1995 May 2-3 Seattle, WA O’Connell Bracken 1996 May 7-9 Newport, OR Barss O’Connell 1997 May 6-8 Tiburon, CA Thomas Barss 1998 May 5-7 Olympia, WA Jagielo Barss 1999 May 4-6 Seattle, WA Methot Barnes 2000 May 9-10 Nanaimo, BC Saunders Barnes 2001 May 8-10 Newport, OR Schmitt Schmitt 2002 May 7-8 Point Lobos, CA Barnes Methot 2003 May 6-7 Sitka, AK O’Connell Jagielo 2004 May 4-5 Coupeville, WA Wilkins Jagielo 2005 May 3-4 Parksville, BC Stanley Stanley 2006 May 2-3 Otter Rock, OR Parker Stanley 2007 April 24-25 Santa Cruz, CA Field Brylinsky 2008 May 6-7 Seattle, WA Wilkins Brylinsky Table of Contents HISTORY OF TSC MEETING LOCATIONS……………………Inside Cover A. OVERVIEW AND TERMS OF REFERENCE……………………………..…..1 B. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…………………………………………………...…...3 C. MINUTES OF THE TECHNICAL SUB-COMMITTEE…………………..…..5 D. PARENT COMMITTEE MINUTES……………………………………….…..24 E. AGENCY REPORTS……………………………………………………………26 1. ALASKA FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE……………………………………………………………….……27 2. CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA GROUNDFISH FISHERIES………………...….…130 3. COMMITTEE OF AGE READING EXPERTS (CARE)…………………………….….151 4. INTERNATIONAL PACIFIC HALIBUT COMMISSION (IPHC)………………….….161 5. NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE………………………………………………………………..…..185 6. SOUTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE…………………………………………………………….….…..230 7. STATE OF ALASKA – ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME……….…..246 8. STATE OF OREGON – DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE ……….….…..…294 9. STATE OF WASHINGTON – DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE ……...…...306 10. STATE OF CALIFORNIA – DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME…..………...…....321 A. Overview and Terms of Reference During the Conference on Coordination of Fisheries Regulations Between Canada and the United States (April 1959, Vancouver B.C.), the Ad Hoc Committee on Trawl Fishery Regulations recommended that the governments of Canada and the United States establish a continuing group made up of administrative and technical representatives of Oregon, Washington and Canada to review trawl regulations, to exchange information of status of bottom fish stocks, and to continue, enhance and coordinate bottom fish research programs. The Technical Sub-committee (TSC) was then created by the Committee on Trawl Fishery Regulations (now the Canada-U.S. Groundfish Committee) at the trawl committee meeting held in Seattle, Washington, on November 4, 1959. The TSC first met in Portland, Oregon, on January 19-20, 1960. Dr. K.S. Ketchen (Canada) served as Chairman. Member agencies at the time were the Fisheries Research Board of Canada (now the Department of Fisheries and Oceans), Washington Department of Fisheries (now the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife), Fish Commission of Oregon (now the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife), and the California Department of Fish and Game. In 1972, two more agencies became members – the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries (now the National Marine Fisheries Service). The TSC has met at least annually since 1960 and submitted a processed report of each meeting to its Parent Committee. These terms of reference did not apply to Pacific halibut, whose research and management are the responsibility of the International Pacific Halibut Commission: 1. Exchange information on the status of groundfish stocks of mutual concern and coordinate, whenever possible, desirable programs of research. 2. Recommend the continuance and further development of research programs having potential value as scientific basis for future management of the groundfish fishery. 3. Review the scientific and technical aspects of existing or proposed management strategies and their component regulations relevant to conservation of stocks or other scientific aspects of groundfish conservation and management of mutual interest. 4. Transmit approved recommendations and appropriate documentation to appropriate sectors of Canadian and U.S. governments and encourage implementation of the recommendations. The TSC has exhibited considerable flexibility in reacting to the diverse problems of the dynamic groundfish fishery off western Canada and the United States. It has coordinated coastwide fishery statistics and research projects; created working groups to deal in depth with specific problems; scheduled workshops at which appropriate specialists met to jointly deal with specific problems and exchange data and information; and provided an on-going forum for exchange of data, procedures, and regulations. The TSC has identified problems associated with the utilization and management of groundfish resources of importance to both countries; often well in advance of public or agency awareness. The concerns expressed 1 in 1962 by the TSC over the development of foreign fisheries and recommendations for stock assessments were significant. TSC-coordinated Canada-U.S. research on Pacific ocean perch provided the basis for negotiation of bilateral fishing agreements between the United States and Japan and the USSR. Furthermore, the continually updated information provided the basis for quotas imposed in 1977 by Canada and the United States when they both promulgated their 200-mile zones of extended jurisdiction. 2 B. Executive Summary The TSC met May 6-7, 2008 in Seattle, Washington at the Hotel Nexus. The meeting was hosted by the National Marine Fisheries Service -- Alaska Fisheries Science Center (Mark Wilkins) and chaired by Cleo Brylinsky, Alaska Department of Fish and Game. As is done each year, participants review previous year (2007) research achievements and projected current year (2008) research for each agency. There continues to be significant informal collaboration between U.S. and Canadian staff in the research and stock assessment of such species as yellowtail, canary, yelloweye rockfish, sablefish, and more extensively, Pacific whiting. Nevertheless, the TSC suggested that assessment and management of these and other groundfish populations that co-exist near national boundaries would benefit from closer collaboration. One means for achieving this would be to include staff from both countries at all pre-assessment workshops of both nations. This would help to ensure that all relevant data are brought to bear on each assessment of transboundary species and also act to stimulate long term collaborative research. This recommendation was sent out in the annual “Letter to Supervisors”, and we have agreed to leave it to each agency to act upon this recommendation as they deem appropriate. The TSC again noted the ongoing work of the Committee of Age Reading Experts (CARE) (http://care.psmfc.org/). TSC appreciates the work of CARE and recognizes that a direct link between the assessment biologist and the ageing lab is the most efficient means of requesting species ageing exchanges. The TSC thanks the Sablefish Working Group for attempting to facilitate closer collaboration among the different research agencies. These efforts appear to have been partially successful thanks to the interagency Sablefish Workshop which was held at the AFSC in Seattle in February, 2007. The TSC suggests that further efforts be left to the principal sablefish researchers in each agency and that the Working Group be disbanded. Field Data Acquisition Workshop Working Group: Mark Wilkins reported that the long- planned field data acquisition workshop had again been cancelled due to uncertain funding. However, the steering group had agreed to push forward and schedule it for late this fall. The group discussed best options for the date and agreed upon the first week of December as the best choice. The workshop announcement will be distributed to Pacific coast fisheries agencies very soon. [Editors note: The workshop will now take place April 1-3, 2009 in Seattle Washington. For further information contact Mark Wilkins [email protected] A website has been established for the workshop, go to https://tundra.iphc.washington.edu/edat/default.htm. 3 The Trawl Survey Working Group, composed of trawl survey scientists from DFO and NMFS (both AFSC and NWFSC), has met annually since 2003 (officially sanctioned as a TSC Working Group since 2005) to share information and coordinate bottom trawl surveys in the North Pacific. They did not meet in 2008 but plan to continue these valuable meetings in the future. The GIS Working Group: A recent query as to the interest level for a GIS workshop failed to raise a significant response. There have been several other small workshops up and down the coast. GeoHab, which meets annually, opted not to include this as a proposed “side workshop”. The next meeting of the TSC will be held May 5 and 6, 2009, in Juneau, Alaska, at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Auke Bay Lab. Dave Clausen, elected as the TSC Chair for 2009-2010, will host and chair the 2009 meeting. 4 C. Minutes of the Technical Subcommittee Forty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the TSC May 6-7, 2008 Hotel Nexus 2140 N. Northgate Way Seattle, WA 98133 Mark Wilkins AFSC, host & rapporteur Contact: [email protected] Tuesday, May 6 I. Call to Order - Cleo Brylinsky (ADF&G), TSC Chair, called the meeting to order at 8:30 am May 6, 2008. II. Appointment of Secretary - Mark Wilkins volunteered to record the minutes of the meeting.