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Speech concerning FRCC Report on Groundfish in St. John's, NL - April 29, 2004 Good morning, bonjour, My name is Jean Guy d’Entremont. I am the Chairman of the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. Some other members of the FRCC are here with me today, and I would like to introduce them:
We also have with us Mr. Arthur Willett, Executive Director of the FRCC Secretariat. Arthur will be coordinating any additional interviews with members of the Council following our presentation. We are here today to release our advice to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Honourable Geoff Regan on conservation requirements for groundfish stocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for the 2004/2005 fishing season. On March 2nd , 2004 the Honourable Geoff Regan, requested that the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council undertake a review of commercial groundfish species in the Gulf of St Lawrence, including cod. In his request to the Council the Minister identified a number of key issues that he wanted the FRCC to address in providing its recommendations on Gulf cod ( for those unfamiliar with Gulf cod there are two stocks - the 3Pn4RS cod is the northern Gulf stock, while 4TVn cod is the southern Gulf stock). The key issues are:
In addition to the above issues in regard to the Gulf cod stocks, the Council reviewed Atlantic Halibut, Witch flounder, Greenland halibut and American plaice. The FRCC did not formulate new recommendations on other groundfish stocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as there was little change in their stock status. I would like to take this time to thank the harvesters, plant workers, scientists and managers of DFO, and the public for participating during our two weeks of consultations throughout the Gulf. The Council gained valuable insight in determining a practical way to stock rebuilding. We also heard from all the stakeholders as they freely expressed their views on the status of the various stocks and the key issues. First we would like to report on some of the issues raised by the Minister: To begin, I will ask Mr. Gabe Gregory to address the issues related to the Gulf cod stocks. Following Mr. Gregory I will summarize our recommendations. Gabe Gregory, Vice-Chairman, FRCC Thank you Mr. Chairman. Whether a material change has occurred in the status of the stocks. Regarding whether material change has occurred in the status of cod stocks, the Council having carefully reviewed all of the available information, believes that while there are some positive signs of growth, the cod stocks for both the southern and northern Gulf have not experienced material change since last year. The estimate of the spawning stock biomass for the northern Gulf cod provided by science has changed very little from that estimated in 2003. On the other hand, harvesters view the stock as healthy and growing, improving year to year. For the southern Gulf there was no new information from science due to a fire onboard the research vessel Alfred Needler. The condition of the cod in the southern Gulf remains healthy and the spawning stock biomass is estimated to be low, near the conservation reference limit. Harvesters indicate the stock is improving, based primarily on catch rates in the sentinel fishery and their by-catches in other fisheries. It is, therefore, not surprising that there remains substantial disagreement between harvesters and science as to the status of these stocks. While the Council concluded that there has been no material change from last year for either of the Gulf cod stocks, the FRCC is inclined to the harvesters’ view that the size of the northern Gulf cod stock is larger than that estimated by science. Having said that, however, the Council recognizes that even at the higher spawning stock biomass the stock is relatively low compared to historical levels. The Council views that the southern Gulf cod biomass is closer to that estimated in the 2003 scientific assessment. The potential for stock growth and recovery. The Council believes that the potential for stock growth and recovery is largely dependent on recruitment, and natural mortality returning to more favourable conditions on a sustained basis. Limited fishing reduces marginally the potential for growth and recovery but does not increase substantially the risk to these stocks. Natural mortality for the two cod stocks is high. The reason for this high natural mortality is mainly due to, but not only, predation by seals. The uncertainty respecting the scientific assessments. There are many sources of uncertainty in the scientific assessments. The research survey has difficulty sampling the cod over their entire distribution from deep water to shallow coastal areas. Uncertainty also exists regarding the issue of stock mixing between the northern Gulf stock (3Pn4RS) and the adjacent southern Newfoundland stock in area 3Ps. The scientific model used to estimate stock size itself creates uncertainty. The population model used for Gulf cod stocks provides better guidance about long-term trends than about short-term fluctuations. The Council concludes that the key uncertainty for the northern Gulf cod is in the estimate of the spawning stock biomass which could result in a biomass being larger than that estimated by the scientific model. For southern Gulf cod, the key uncertainty appears to be the trend in recruitment. The potential for bridging the apparent gap between the scientific analysis and the views of the fishing industry. The Council believes that the best way to bridge the gap between the viewpoints of science and industry is through the development of shared stewardship where the views of stakeholders are more equitably considered in the decision-making process. Scientists and harvesters have different interpretations of the status of the cod stocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, particularly in the northern Gulf. Harvesters feel disconnected from the scientific process and do not accept the outcome. It is important to emphasize that in some fisheries there exists little or no difference between the views of science and industry. While there has been considerable cooperation between harvesters and science over the past decade, in competitive groundfish fisheries, it remains a model that that does not seem to work well. The challenge is to identify other models that ensure harvesters’ viewpoints and interpretations of stock status are respected, and not discounted in the decision-making process. How shared stewardship and accountability might best be fostered. During consultations some harvesters proposed that the fisheries management system be changed whereby the Minister would devolve decision-making under a shared stewardship approach. Recently the Minister released a new policy framework for the management of the Atlantic fisheries. This framework endorsed a shared stewardship and the FRCC supports this approach. Shared stewardship requires both responsibility and accountability. Responsibility requires that the Minister allow decision-making to be as inclusive as possible and as close to the harvesters as practical and accountability means that all stakeholders accept the outcomes arising from shared decision-making, both positive and negative. In the Council’s view shared stewardship will take years to evolve and require goodwill, commitment, and teamwork. A risk management approach to balance short and long-term trade-offs. Conceptually, a risk-based approach requires recognition and determination of all factors that may be affected by decisions taken. For stakeholders the key risks must be determined and assessed with respect to their likelihood and impact. The scientific information, even at its best, is subject to considerable uncertainty and therefore cannot be the sole basis for decision-making. The Council concludes that the risk in allowing limited fisheries on the Gulf cod stocks over the next few years is acceptable. However, if the stocks do not show signs of growth and remain near current levels or in fact decline, then even these limited fisheries will need to be reduced or curtailed. The Council carefully considered the options for fishing in 2004, and concluded that there was no basis to advise on different total removals from those advised in the 2003 FRCC report (3,000 tonnes for southern Gulf cod, 3,500 tonnes for northern Gulf cod). Impediments to recovery: There are three key components presently limiting cod recovery: natural mortality, recruitment, and fishing mortality. Natural mortality in recent years has been relatively high. Seals are an important source of this mortality, an observation supported both by fishermen and science. Recruitment may be affected by the marine environment, by predation by other natural and human factors. Since temperatures in the Gulf lay at the cold end of the range for cod it is possible that the cold years may adversely affect recruitment. Fishing mortality can be directly controlled. In the past harvesting has removed excessive numbers of cod, per year. This rate of harvesting was too high even during periods when stocks were in much healthier condition. Under present conditions in the Gulf, fishing mortality should be low to allow recovery but enough to permit the continuance of a limited fishery. While improved conditions for the cod is crucial to their recovery, so too is the cooperation of the harvesters. Perpetuation of the present management approach, in which harvesters feel disenfranchised, could also limit the rate of cod recovery. Implementation of shared stewardship, and the resulting sense of responsibility and accountability this should develop, will help to ensure better adherence to management regulations and hence better conservation. Jean Guy d’Entremont, Chairman, FRCC: As just mentioned, the Council is recommending a small participatory commercial harvest with total removals including index and sentinel fisheries limited to 3,000t for southern Gulf cod and 3,500t for northern gulf cod – this is consistent with the FRCC’s advice of last year. For the other Gulf stocks, the Council has noted improvement in a number of the flatfish species in the Gulf, however, it recommends that TAC’s should be maintained at current levels to allow the stocks to further rebuild. The Council therefore recommends these Total Allowable Catches for 2004/2005 :
In summary I would like to reiterate that the Council’s objective remains to rebuild stocks within a conservation framework. After extensive stakeholder consultations around the Gulf, through much internal discussion on the issues raised by the Minister, the Council concludes that rebuilding of the cod resource in the Gulf of St. Lawrence demands shared stewardship. The fishing industry will have to promote responsible fishing practices, abide by low harvest rates, and be accountable for their behavior, and continue to improve their working relationship with DFO. Industry stakeholders must feel a true sense of ownership of the resource. DFO, on the other hand, will need to allow local decision making to be made when and where practical, and ensure that the stakeholders’ input is properly considered and integrated. The Minister will remain in a position to oversee and ensure that conservation of the resource is applied. In its report, the Council also reiterates last year’ recommendation for close areas to protect spawning and over-wintering aggregations of cod. For information: Arthur Willett |
