Dynamics and implications of Canada’s increasing reliance on emerging, expanding and established flatfish fisheries Jonathan A. D. Fisher , Arnault Le Bris, Devin Flawd, Brynn Devine, Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland. PO Box 4920, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Jonathan.fisher@mi.mun.ca Dominique Robert, Institut des sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, CP 3300, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada
Some recent flatfish dynamics (Canadian halibut landings) 80 60 Atlantic halibut Greenland halibut (Atlantic) Pacific halibut Greenland halibut (Arctic) Landings value (millions) Landings value (millions) 50 60 40 40 30 20 20 10 Landed values from DFO, Nunavut Landed values from DFO Fisheries Management Board 0 0 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
ECNASAP (1995) North too… Dominant flatfishes in Atlantic Canada data via R. Pettipas, DFO Mean number per tow (1970-1994)
Canadian Atlantic groundfish dynamics 1960-2016 Canadian groundfish landings Canadian groundfish landings (non-flatfish) (non-flatfish) Canadian flatfish landings 10 6 10 6 Avg. 66% Atlantic cod per 99.8% Canadian landings (mt) Canadian landings (mt) year (1960-1991) 95.9% 85.4% 10 5 10 5 Avg. 55% American 96.4% plaice per year 95.8% (1960-1991) % population declines 10 4 10 4 (1960s-1990s) 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Data from NAFO
Groundfish collapses were followed by lucrative opportunities • In Newfoundland and Labrador, shrimp, snow crab, turbot currently dominate landings value ( 80% of total ) – cold water preferences and strong contributions to food webs as predators and prey = potentially impacted first/strongest by changing ocean conditions? Snow crab (L. Wheeland, CFER) Northern shrimp Greenland halibut (V. Howse, CFER)
Past economic transition from finfish to shellfish Early 2000s • Social and cultural importance too Early 1990s • Landings and values Early are used to 1990s Early document changes Early 2000s 1990s Early in fisheries, not 2000s stock sizes Newfoundland and Labrador landed values from DFO
Atlantic regional warming observations DFO. 2017. Oceanographic conditions in the Atlantic zone in 2016. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2017/031 . “Bottom water temperatures off the East Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) have been increasing since the mid-1990s and are expected to remain high or continue to increase (more gradually) for more than a decade to about 2030…”
“Since the mid to late 2000s signals of a change in community structure started to emerge. Shellfish started to decline, and traditional groundfishes began to increase…Recent trends suggest that the system may be reverting back to a groundfish-dominated fish community, but the future structure of that ecosystem will not necessarily be similar to that of the previous groundfish-dominated ecosystem.”
Northeast coast of Newfoundland (NAFO 2J3KL) DFO. (2014) Short-Term Stock Prospects for Cod, Crab and Shrimp in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region (Divisions 2J3KL). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Resp. 2014/049.
Towards additional fisheries/economic transitions?
Why consider flatfish fishery dynamics now? Proportion flatfish of total groundfish • Consistent increases in 0.7 Landings volume flatfish volume (1% per Landing value year) and flatfish value (2% 0.6 per year) within total groundfish landings since 0.5 1990 ( DFO data ) 0.4 • Atlantic halibut, Greenland halibut, ‘flounders (ns)’ 0.3 ranked 1,2,3 price per kg 0.2 since 2013 ( DFO data ) • Prop. flatfish in groundfish 0.1 landings vol. now highest 0.0 ( NAFO data ) 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Why consider flatfish dynamics now? • History of increased effort on flatfish when other options are limited – 1990s Greenland halibut NAFO (2017) Greenland halibut stock assessment & management strategy evaluation. SCS Doc. 17-15
Why consider flatfish dynamics now? • History of increased effort on flatfish when other options are limited – 1990s Greenland halibut NAFO (2017) Greenland halibut stock assessment & management strategy evaluation. SCS Doc. 17-15
Return towards past landings composition? • 1960-2016 Canadian flatfish landings data from NAFO (9 species/groups) • Bray-Curtis similarity through time • Continued divergence from landings composition • Similar temporal patterns within regional scale (e.g., GSL, NE NL, Grand Banks, Scotian Shelf
What drove changes in landings composition? 1.0 Proportion of landings volume 1.8 • Diversity of American plaice 0.8 Greenland halibut landings Shannon Diversity 1.6 composition lowest in recent 0.6 1.4 years • Catches driven 0.4 1.2 by few species • Increasing 0.2 1.0 importance of Greenland 0.8 0.0 halibut 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Landed values from NAFO
Are there other ways to evaluate past and current flatfish fisheries’ performance?
Fryexell 1 • Assumptions • Can bio-economic theory be applied to evaluate fisheries efficiency? • Developed a Ricker-recruitment index, linked to price flexibility, fisheries effort • Question: how does price change affect harvest and where do fisheries operate along the equilibrium curve? Can they derive targets for rebuilding? • Data needs for evaluation: normalized landings, normalized price/kg (adjusted for consumer price index)
Feed cheap fish to the world Let them eat cake! • Provides targets for fisheries rebuilding • Illustrates how some stocks may be fished towards ‘extinction’ • Can be tested with widely available data… Fryxell et al . (2017) Supply and demand drive a critical transition to dysfunctional fisheries. PNAS .
Empirical support for predictions? • Authors used 50 years of US Atlantic cod data, Pollock data from NOAA/NMFS Fryxell et al . (2017) Supply and demand drive a critical transition to dysfunctional fisheries. PNAS .
Atlantic flatfish data to test this bio-economic model? • Canadian landings 1960- 2010 • 8 species flatfish complex • Thought experiment… Walsh et al . (2014) Atlantic flatfish fisheries. In: Flatfishes: biology and exploitation
How do Atlantic flatfish landings data fit within this model? Aggregate flatfish landings, $ adjusted for consumer price index 1.0 Price 1.0 1.0 Harvest 0.8 0.8 0.8 Harvest Harvest 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 Price Price Data derived from Walsh et al . (2014) Atlantic flatfish fisheries. In: Flatfishes: biology and exploitation
Greenland halibut – changing distribution of quotas and catch Canadian Greenland halibut landings (mt) 50000 40000 Southern stock 30000 20000 Northern stock 10000 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Flatfish fisheries expansions – Greenland halibut beyond NAFO 0A? • Collaborative fisheries explorations near northern communities outside NAFO (2013-2015) • Waters <900 m sampled, few Greenland halibut Jones Sound Resolute OA Arctic Bay Brynn Devine, unpublished data.
Flatfish fisheries expansions – Greenland halibut beyond NAFO 0A? • Cold ~shallow northern waters may explain absence of Greenland halibut near coastal communities • ~2 degrees below established fishing areas Brynn Devine, unpublished data.
Flatfish fisheries expansions – Atlantic halibut benefits beyond Canadian fisheries? • 3N Canadian and international landings 800 Canada Atlantic halibut landings (mt) International 600 400 200 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Flatfish fisheries expansions – Atlantic halibut benefits beyond Canadian fisheries? • 3M Canadian and international landings 1400 Canada Atlantic halibut landings (mt) 1200 Equal to International 2017 Gulf of 1000 St. Lawrence quota! 800 600 400 200 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
What future for flatfish fisheries in Atlantic Canada? 0.6 ??? in total groundfish landings 0.5 Proportion of flatfish 0.4 2016 0.3 0.2 1993 1960 0.1 0 200000 400000 600000 800000 Groundfish total Canadian landings (mt)
Summary and Implications • Changing ocean conditions in eastern Canada lead to new questions on sustainability and future fisheries • Flatfish represent a larger proportion of Groundfish landings, now most concentrated among fewest species (Atlantic halibut, Greenland halibut = long-lived flatfishes) = narrow portfolio • Flatfishes are increasingly explored as lucrative fishing opportunities • Few signs of flatfish fisheries return to former composition or dominance • Future unknown; expanding portfolio requires recoveries; interactions with other established/emerging fisheries a concern for future (yellowtail flounder > redfish > cod)
Acknowledgements
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