Recovery potential assessment for yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) in British Columbia

Abstract

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) recommends several actions to be undertaken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) if an aquatic species is assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as Threatened, Endangered, or Extirpated. Scientific information on status, threats and limiting factors, and the recovery potential is used to support mitigation planning and actions. This information is typically compiled in a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) that is reviewed in a Canadian Science Advice Secretariat process and may be used to support a listing decision. Currently, this species is listed as Threatened by COSEWIC, and Special Concern in Schedule 1 of SARA. There has been a substantial amount of work recently conducted for both the inside and outside Yelloweye Rockfish Designatable Units (DUs). As such, much of the information normally provided in the RPA has already been compiled in reviewed and recently published CSAS documents. In lieu of repeating this information, the RPA elements for which there is new content is provided in this Science Response, and readers are directed to the appropriate document(s) for information within applicable elements described elsewhere. The information provided here largely reflects the Recovery Targets content, with some additional updated information relevant for other RPA elements. This Science Response Report results from the regional peer review of October 11, 2022 on the Recovery Potential Assessment for Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) in British Columbia.