A"Research"Plan"to"Inform"Future"Assessments"and"Sustainable

A"Research"Plan"to"Inform"Future"Assessments"and"Sustainable"Management"of" the"2J3KL"(Northern)"Cod"Stock"Complex" After& twenty& years& under& moratorium,& the& Northern& Cod& stock& is& undergoing& a& significant& recovery.& Despite& extensive& research& efforts& undertaken& over& the& decades,& there& remain& important& information& gaps& that& should& be& addressed& to& help& ensure& that& the& stock& continues& to& grow& and& is& managed& in& a& sustainable& fashion.& & A& detailed& review& of& the& available& information& has& highlighted& two& research& questions:& (1) What& is& the& current& stock& structure& and& migration& pattern(s)& of& Northern& cod& overEwintering& on& offshore& shelf& and& slope& waters,& and& are& these& patterns& consistent& with& those& previous& documented?& & To& address& this& question& we& need& to& know& the& approximate& number,& size,& productivity&and°ree&of&transfer&between&offshore&components.& (2) Under¤t&and&future&levels&of&removals,&and&considering&the&present&and&likely&future&patterns& of& fishing& effort& across& the& stock& area,& to& what& extent& may& different& components& be& subjected& to& differing&exploitation&rates?&&To&address&this&question&we&need&to&know&the¤t&timing,&location& and°ree&of&inshore&migration&undertaken&on&a&seasonal&basis&by&each&offshore&component.& && The&tools&needed&to&address&these&questions&are&available& through& collaborations& with& academic& institutions,& nonE government& organizations& and& the& Department& of& Fisheries& and& Oceans.& & The& question& of& component& structure& can& be& addressed& through& the& application& of& modern& genetic& techniques& that& will& allow& rapid& and& effective&discrimination&of&the&various&stock&components,& and&their°ree&of&contribution&to&juvenile&production&on& a& yearEoverEyear& basis.& & Combined& with& the& implementation& of& comprehensive& conventional& and& acoustic& tagging& programs& in& both& the& inshore& and& offshore& areas,& and& the& deployment& of& a& comprehensive& system& of& acoustic& receivers& across& the& stock& area,& & this& suite&of&research&will&improve&the&understanding&of&when,& where& and& how& quickly& each& of& the& cod& components& undertake& seasonal& migrations& and& the& degree& of& fidelity& to&wintering&and&spawning&aggregations.& Annual&stock&movements.&&From&Rowe&and&Rose&(2015)& This&in&turn&will&enable&spatial&assessment&modelling&and&spatial&management&measures&to&be&applied&to& the&Northern&Cod&stock&complex.&&& The&proposed&fiveEyear&program,&in&its&entirety&is&estimated&to&cost&almost&$&11&million.&&It&is&anticipated& that& funding& will& be& secured& through& inEkind& collaborations,& private& contributions& and& support& from& Federal&and&Provincial&governments.&&&& " "

2J3KL"(Northern)"Cod"Fishery"Improvement"Project"(FIP)& The& FIP& partnership& led& by& the& Association& of& Seafood& Producers& (ASP)& and& the& Groundfish& Enterprise& Allocation& Council& (GEAC)& has& been& actively& contributing& to& the& sustainable& management& of& Northern& Cod.&&This&has&included&the&following&achievements:& • • •

Completion& of& the& Research& Proposal&by& Dr.& John& Neilson,& through& consultations& with& industry& and&academic&partners.& Construction&of&a&statistical&catch&at&age&assessment&model&by&Dr.&Sean&Cox.& Development&of&a&simulation&model&by&Dr.&Sean&Cox&to&assess&the&impact&of&candidate&harvest& strategies&and&related&harvest&control&rules.&

Looking"Forward"to"2016:" • • • • •

Fund&genetic&analysis&of&offshore&components&and&recruitment&patterns.&" Engage&a&Project&Manager&to&coordinate&and&guide&implementation&of&the&program.&" Develop& further& partnerships& and& collaborations& with& academic& institutions& and& industry& partners&to&maximize&efficiencies.&" Organize& a& science& workshop& in& cooperation& with& the& Ocean& Tracking& Network& to& finalize& the& design&of&the&tagging&studies.&" Secure&multiEyear&funding&support&for&a&comprehensive&tagging&and&genetics&research&approach.&"

Partners(and(collaborators(in(this(Project(as(of(April(2016:( " " "

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