Project 3.3d – Developing management procedures robust to variability in stock productivity arising through trophic interactions and persistent environmental changes

Pacific hake and Pacific herring fisheries have been among the most productive fisheries in Canadian Pacific waters. Herring fisheries in British Columbia waters were severely overfished in the late 1960s. They recovered to historical levels in the 1980s and 1990s and were much more valuable as a roe fishery compared to the reduction fishery that operated in the 1960s and earlier. Since the late 1980s, numbers of Pacific hake in the northeast Pacific has declined considerably. With the Pacific hake populations in strong decline and three of five of British Columbia herring stocks closed to fishing, the hake and herring industries are at an uncertain juncture.

New software will be developed for conducting management strategy evaluation for a stock assessment model. This project will help with the development of sound management practices for the Pacific hake and Pacific herring fisheries, despite uncertainty in the future productivity of stocks.

Project Leader Contact Information

Andrew Trites and Murdoch McAllister

University of British Columbia

Project Team

• Ashleen Benson - University of New Brunswick research associate (2013-present)
• Catarina Wor Lima - University of British Columbia graduate student (2012-present)
• Chris Grandin - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station
• Jaclyn Cleary - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station
• Jake Schweigert - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station
• Lorena Hamer - Herring Conservation Research Association
• Nathan Taylor - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station
• Sean Cox - Simon Fraser University
• Thomas Carruthers - University of British Columbia