Identification of a limit reference point and proposal of an upper stock reference for Canadian fishery management of Eastern Georges Bank (5Zjm) Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)

Abstract

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) on eastern Georges Bank (EGB) is a Canada/United States transboundary species and is assessed by the Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee (TRAC). For Canadian domestic fishery management, biomass reference points are required to implement DFO’s fishery decision-making framework incorporating the precautionary approach. A new statistical catch-at-age model was developed for EGB Haddock in 2022; therefore, it was necessary to provide updated advice and recommendations on biomass reference points. The productivity relationships for two different time periods (1931–1954, 1969–2020) were examined. The 1969–2020 time series of data was considered the most appropriate for the calculation of reference points due to the absence of evidence of productivity regime shifts and full availability of age composition data. Brecover, defined as the lowest spawning stock biomass (SSB) on record that resulted in sustained recovery to historically high levels, was determined to be the most appropriate candidate limit reference point (LRP) for EGB Haddock. Brecover for EGB Haddock was explicitly defined as the minimum biomass between 1991 and 1996. Using this definition, and the current model outputs, the minimum estimate of SSB occurring in 1993 is the identified LRP for EGB Haddock (8,620 mt). The proposed upper stock reference (USR) was calculated using the “Rago-Razor” method based on spawning stock biomass and recruitment data between 1969 and 2020 and is estimated as 26,732 mt.