Serial No. N6849 NAFO SCS Doc. 18-19 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Report of the Scientific Council Meeting 01 -14 June 2018 Halifax, Nova Scotia NAFO Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada 2018 2 SC 01 – 14 June 2018 Report of the Scientific Council Meeting 01 -14 June 2018 Halifax, Nova Scotia I. Plenary Sessions ......................................................................................................................................................................................8 II. Review of Scientific Council Recommendations in 2017 .......................................................................................................8 III. Fisheries Environment ..........................................................................................................................................................................9 IV. Publications................................................................................................................................................................................................9 V. Research Coordination..........................................................................................................................................................................9 VI. Fisheries Science ................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 VII. Management Advice and Responses to Special Requests .................................................................................................. 10 1. The NAFO Commission ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 a) Request for Advice on TACs and Other Management Measures ................................................................. 10 b) Monitoring of Stocks for which Multi-year Advice was Provided in 2016 or 2017 ........................... 31 c) Special Requests for Management Advice ............................................................................................................ 32 2. Coastal States ........................................................................................................................................................................ 70 a) Request by Denmark (on behalf of Greenland) for advice on management in 2019 of certain stocks in Subareas 0 and 1 (Annex 2) ..................................................................................................................... 70 b) Request by Canada and Denmark (Greenland) for Advice on Management in 2019 ........................ 77 3. Scientific Council Advice of its own Accord ............................................................................................................ 81 a) Witch flounder in Divisions 3NO .............................................................................................................................. 81 b) Sea pen closure (Area 14) ............................................................................................................................................ 86 VIII. Review of Future Meetings Arrangements ............................................................................................................................... 88 1. Scientific Council, 17 – 21 Sep 2018 ........................................................................................................................... 88 2. Scientific Council, (in conjunction with NIPAG), 17 – 23 Oct 2018 .............................................................. 88 3. WG-ESA, 13- 22 Nov, 2018 ............................................................................................................................................. 88 4. Scientific Council, June 2019.......................................................................................................................................... 88 5. Scientific Council (in conjunction with NIPAG), 2019 ........................................................................................ 88 6. Scientific Council, Sep 2019 ........................................................................................................................................... 88 7. Scientific Council, June 2020.......................................................................................................................................... 88 8. NAFO/ICES Joint Groups ................................................................................................................................................. 88 a) NIPAG, 17 – 23 Oct 2018 .............................................................................................................................................. 88 b) NIPAG, 2019 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 88 c) ICES – NAFO Working Group on Deep-water Ecosystem .............................................................................. 88 d) WG-HARP, 2018 ............................................................................................................................................................... 88 9. Commission- Scientific Council Joint Working Groups ...................................................................................... 88 IX. Arrangements for Special Sessions .............................................................................................................................................. 89 1. Topics of Future Special Sessions ................................................................................................................................ 89 2. ICES/PICES/NAFO International Symposium on "Shellfish Resources and Invaders of the North"89 X. Meeting Reports .................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 1. Working Group on Ecosystem Science and Assessment (WG-ESA) - SCS Doc. 17/21 ......................... 89 2. ICES-NAFO Working Group on Deep-water Ecology (WG-DEC) ................................................................... 92 3. Report from ad hoc Joint Commission- Scientific Council Working Group on Catch Estimation Strategy Advisory Group (CESAG) .............................................................................................................................. 93 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int SC 01 – 14 June 2018 3 4. Meetings attended by the Secretariat ........................................................................................................................ 93 XI. Review of Scientific Council Working Procedures/Protocol ............................................................................................ 93 1. General Plan of Work for September 2018 Annual Meeting ........................................................................... 93 2. Other matters ....................................................................................................................................................................... 93 a) Timeline for reporting of advice ............................................................................................................................... 93 b) Timeframe for completion of reports ..................................................................................................................... 93 c) Attendance of observers in SC meetings ............................................................................................................... 93 d) Meeting participation by WebEx............................................................................................................................... 93 XII. Other Matters ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 94 1. Designated Experts ............................................................................................................................................................ 94 2. Stock Assessment Spreadsheets .................................................................................................................................. 95 3. Presentation of NAFO Scientific Merit Award ........................................................................................................ 95 4. Budget Items ......................................................................................................................................................................... 95 5. Canadian Assessment of northern cod ...................................................................................................................... 95 XIII. Adoption of Committee Reports .................................................................................................................................................... 95 XIV. Scientific Council Recommendations to the Commission .................................................................................................. 95 XV. Adoption of Scientific Council Report ........................................................................................................................................