PICES 2014 - S5 presentations- PICES - North Pacific Marine Science Organization

Session 5. Ecosystem considerations in fishery management of cod and other important demersal species

Co-Convenors:
Gordon H. Kruse (USA)
Sukgeun Jung (Korea)
Alexei Orlov (Russia)
Xianshi Jin (China)
Jacquelynne King (Canada)
Kenneth Drinkwater (Norway / ICES)

Invited Speakers:
Kenneth Drinkwater (Institute of Marine Research, Norway)
Robyn Forrest (Pacific Biological Station, Canada)
Yasunori Sakurai (Hokkaido University, Japan)

Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) sustain important commercial fisheries throughout the North Pacific Ocean and, historically, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) have supported some of the most valuable commercial fisheries in the North Atlantic Ocean. Their dynamics have been linked to fishing, climate and other commercially important demersal species. Cod are also extremely important ecologically. As predators, they have been implicated in the decline or lack of recovery of shrimp, king crab, capelin and herring. As prey, they are important forage for pinnipeds; some research implicates seal predation in the lack of recovery of some Atlantic cod stocks, and other studies implicate Pacific cod in the lack of recovery of Steller sea lions in the western Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. Multispecies models demonstrate co-variation of cod with other important demersal species, as well as explicit tradeoffs in cod and forage fish populations with implications on the joint setting of catch
quotas. Moreover, cod recruitment and spatial distribution can be strongly influenced by climate-driven changes in oceanography on decadal and shorter time scales, implying that catch levels must be adjusted for bottom-up changes in productivity. For these and other reasons, ecosystem considerations must be taken into account in cod fishery management. By drawing upon insights gained from different systems, as well as from studies of other important co-occurring demersal species (e.g., walleye pollock, small yellow croaker), this session will deepen our understanding of the roles of cod in the marine ecosystem and their implications on fishery management. Contributions are sought that consider stock identification, stock assessment and population dynamics, effects of climatology and oceanography on recruitment and biomass, trophodynamics, movements and distribution with respect to oceanographic features, multispecies models and their implications on management strategies, and other ecosystem approaches to the management, including aquaculture alternatives. Presentations are welcome from marine ecosystems in the North Pacific and North Atlantic.