I WONDER WHERE THAT FISH HAS GONE; APPLICATION OF ACOUSTIC - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

I WONDER WHERE THAT FISH HAS GONE; APPLICATION OF ACOUSTIC TELEMETRY TO GREENLAND HALIBUT ( REINHARDTIUS HIPPOGLOSSOIDES ) FISHERY MANAGEMENT Kevin J. Hedges, Nigel E. Hussey, Amanda N. Barkley, Margaret A. Treble, Iva Peklova and Aaron T. Fisk

Outline • Background – Greenland Halibut – Current fisheries, global and Canadian – Working assumptions (connectivity, habitat use) • Ongoing telemetry research • Incorporation into fishery management

Greenland Halibut • Pan-Arctic distribution Hedges et al. 2017. In State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Report

Greenland Halibut • Peak spawning – November to January in Norway – February to March in Davis Strait • Extended spawning – September to March • Mesopelagic eggs • Settle when 65-70 mm, roughly in July • 50% maturity at 59-65 cm

Greenland Halibut • Commercial fisheries active in most areas

Greenland Halibut Fisheries Pond Inlet • Canadian commercial Clyde River fisheries in Arctic – Established Qikiqtarjuaq fisheries – Exploratory Baffin Bay/ Cumberland Sound Davis Strait fisheries

Stock Structure • Cytochrome-b – homogeneous – Vis et al. 1997. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. • Microsatellites – panmixia – Roy et al. 2014. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

Stock Structure • snp analysis showed possible barrier in the Atlantic. – Westgaard et al. 2017. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

Telemetry Network 2017 Tremblay Sound Scott Inlet Broughton Island Baffin Island shelf break

Cumberland Sound 2011-2012

Cumberland Sound 2014-2016

Hussey et al. 2017. Ecological Applications

Scott Inlet 2012-2017

Transients Mysterious Residents

Qikiqtarjuaq 2015-2017

Large Scale Movements

Fishery Management Cumberland Sound Turbot Management Area • Community-based • Winter longlines – Ice-based • Separate management area and quota – Sink population supported by Baffin Bay – No emmigration – No local reproductiong • Developing open water season

Fishery Historically Management best winter Cumberland catches High open Sound Turbot water Management catches Area • Catches better in deeper water

Fishery Management Cumberland Sound Turbot Management Area • Request revision of boundary to allow quota to be fished throughout Cumberland Sound – Extend to Nunavut Settlement Area Boundary • Provisional change to facilitate fishery – Dependent on completion of a tracking study

Fishery Management Cumberland Sound Turbot Management Area • Electronic tagging in 2010, 2011, 2014 • Tracking 2010-2012, 2014-2016

Fishery Management Stock Connectivity

Conclusions • Local-scale tracking revealing seasonal movement patterns and behavioural types – Movements related to ice conditions? – Movements related to marine mammals? • Broad-scale tracking revising understanding of connectivity – Provides context for genetic analyses • Telemetry can effectively inform fisheries management – Area and stock definitions – Seasonal behaviours

Acknowledgements • Government of Nunavut • Pangnirtung HTO • Clyde River HTO • Qikiqtarjuaq HTO • Pond Inlet HTO • Fishing Industry

Questions?