Developing Scientific Methods

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) will be proceeding with a modeling assessment framework for the Southwest Nova Scotia / Bay of Fundy (SWNS/BoF) spawning component of Atlantic herring in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) management unit 4VWX using a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) approach. A review of the data inputs was presented at the February, 2019 Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) SWNS/BoF Herring Data Inputs Framework meeting. A report containing a review and recommendations for further data summaries and analysis was delivered to DFO by Landmark Fisheries Research (Landmark). The Landmark report identified that the data inputs are of sufficient quality to fit a statistical catch-at-age population assessment model.

The scope of this project will be to develop an MSE framework to identify a management procedure that meets the conservation and fishery objectives of the SWNS/BoF Atlantic herring fishery.