HecStEP

HecStEP

- Hecate Strait Ecosystem Project -

An Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in Hecate Strait

Overview

This three year study was initiated in April 2001 by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The study has two main objectives:

• To expand our knowledge of factors affecting the productivity of marine fish communities in Hecate Strait

• To use this information to develop new stock assessment techniques incorporating ecosystem considerations that can be introduced into the mainstream advisory process.

Rationale

The traditional fishery management paradigm is based on single species biological reference points and stock assessments. An ecosystem approach to management is necessary to provide more comprehensive advice to fishery managers. Fish production is influenced by large scale environmental forcing and management targets need to account for these effects. Biological interactions among species and at different life history stages also have important impacts on stock production and will likely affect stock production and recovery times after periods of heavy exploitation.

The Hecate Strait area is well suited as a case study for developing ecosystem considerations for management. An extensive database exists on the commercial fisheries. In addition, species spatial and temporal distributions, abundance and feeding habits have been the subject of numerous research cruises. Habitat characteristics have been described from studies of surficial geology and physical oceanography.

Hypothesis

The composition and abundance of the biological communities in Hecate Strait are driven by a combination of fishing, environmental and biological effects. Single species assessments are inadequate for determining optimal harvest strategies and predicting change. A holistic approach will provide more appropriate advice for sustainable management of the fisheries resource.

Study Framework

The spatial and temporal distribution of the key marine populations and their habitat will be integrated using data collected from bottom trawl surveys, commercial fisheries, physical oceanographic surveys, surficial geology, and bathymetry. Trophic linkages will be determined from data on food resource division within the region.

Ecosystem models will be developed to investigate the relative importance of fishing, environmental forcing and biological interactions in affecting changes in marine fish communities. This work will integrate all of the information assembled to date. The ecosystem model parameters and structure will be calibrated by comparison of model predictions with time series of catch, fishing effort, and survey abundance indices. The calibrated model will be used to investigate alternative management policies for the Hecate Strait fisheries.

The composition and abundance of the biological communities in Hecate Strait are driven by a combination of fishing, environmental and biological effects. Single species assessments are inadequate for determining optimal harvest strategies and predicting change. A holistic approach will provide more appropriate advice for sustainable management of the fisheries resource.