Questionnaire Report for Atlantic cod
(MERA version 4.1.6)
Abdul Ben-Hasan (abenhasan@gmail.com)
2019-05-02
1 About this document
This is a prototype of an automatic report that documents how the user specified the operating model and their various justifications.
2 Introduction
(from DFO website: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/ifmp-gmp/cod-morue/cod-morue-2018-eng.htm) “Historically, the 4X5Y Cod stock traditionally supported a significant directed fishery. Currently, as a result of substantial declines in stock biomass and consequent low quota levels, only a very small amount of directed fishing takes place, mainly conducted by the inshore fixed gear fleet using longlines, gillnets and handlines. The majority of Atlantic cod in Divisions 4X5Y are caught as part of a mixed species fishery that includes haddock, pollock, winter flounder, redfish and other species (DFO 2017) (See Table 1 for fleet shares). Several other fisheries catch cod as bycatch in 4X5Y, but may or may not be permitted to land cod (DFO 2011). There are also recreational and Aboriginal food, social and ceremonial components to the 4X5Y cod fishery.”
(from DFO website: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/ifmp-gmp/cod-morue/cod-morue-2018-eng.htm) “Atlantic cod is a bottom dwelling North Atlantic fish that ranges from Georges Bank to Northern Labrador in the Canadian Atlantic, including the southern Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy management unit (4X5Y) (Figure 1)”.
DFO website: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/ifmp-gmp/cod-morue/cod-morue-2018-eng.htm.
DFO. 2009. Cod on the Southern Scotian Shelf and in the Bay of Fundy (Div. 4X/5Y). DFO. Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2009/015.
DFO. 2011. Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) for the Southern Designatable Unit (NAFO Divs. 4X5Yb and 5Zjm) of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Advis. Rep. 2011/034.
DFO. 2015. 2014 4X5Yb Atlantic Cod Stock Status Update. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Resp. 2015/010.
DFO. 2017. 2016 4X5Yb Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Stock Status Update. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Resp. 2017/024.
3 Fishery Characteristics
3.1 Longevity
| Answered |
|---|
| Very short-lived (5 < maximum age < 7) |
| Short-lived (7 < maximum age < 10) |
| Moderate life span (10 < maximum age < 20) |
| Moderately long-lived (20 < maximum age < 40) |
| Long-lived (40 < maximum age < 80) |
| Very long-lived (80 < maximum age < 160) |
| Justification |
|---|
| (from DFO website: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/ifmp-gmp/cod-morue/cod-morue-2018-eng.htm) Based on the natural mortality for all ages. But the website also states: “The 2009 stock assessment, using a virtual population analysis (VPA) model, estimated the natural mortality (M) for Atlantic cod at 0.76 for ages 4+ (from 1996-2008). This value is much higher than the 0.2 estimate historically used for M at all ages for Atlantic cod. Natural mortality may be caused by predation, disease, poor conditions, discards in a recreational or commercial fishery, and/or unreported landings.” |
3.2 Stock depletion
| Answered |
|---|
| Crashed (D < 0.05) |
| Very depleted (0.05 < D < 0.1) |
| Depleted (0.1 < D < 0.15) |
| Moderately depleted (0.15 < D < 0.3) |
| Healthy (0.3 < D < 0.5) |
| Underexploited (0.5 < D) |
| Justification |
|---|
|
Based on the assessment report (https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40625230.pdf), which states: “The survey biomass index remains at very low level since 2010. The recruitment index for this stock has also remained very low in recent years, with the 2013 value being the second lowest on record.” I did not find an explicit range of the SSB relative to unfished levels for this stock. |
3.3 Resilence
| Answered |
|---|
| Not resilient (steepness < 0.3) |
| Low resilience (0.3 < steepness < 0.5) |
| Moderate resilence (0.5 < steepness < 0.7) |
| Resilient (0.7 < steepness < 0.9) |
| Very Resilient (0.9 < steepness) |
| Justification |
|---|
| No information provided about steepness |