Drivers of Atlantic herring decline and evidence basis for fisheries closures and rebuilding plans

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dc.contributor.authorCalder, Ryan S. D.en
dc.contributor.authorMcDermid, Jenni L.en
dc.contributor.authorBoudreau, Stephanie A.en
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-13T17:31:33Zen
dc.date.available2023-04-13T17:31:33Zen
dc.date.issued2023en
dc.description.abstractAtlantic herring (Clupea harengus) are economically and ecologically significant but have been in decline in Atlantic Canada due to an uncertain combination of environmental recruitment controls, predation, and fishing (commercial fishery and poorly documented bait removals). Fisheries and Oceans Canada partially closed Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and herring fisheries in March 2022 amid controversy and disagreement. Here, we develop a conceptual model for natural and anthropogenic controls on herring abundance centered on the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) and evaluate the likely importance of each. We provide the first estimates of the magnitude of bait fishery withdrawals in the sGSL. The decline in sGSL herring is likely driven by natural predation exacerbated by fishing. Bait fishery removals were 182 tonnes in 2021, suggesting that previous estimates for removals of spring-spawning herring were ∼30% too low. Fisheries closure is consistent with a precautionary approach given uncertainties and irreversibility of stock collapse. Ecosystemic models are needed but will be difficult to develop given the incomplete understanding of prey substitutability and net effect of interacting environmental processes.en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2022-0169en
dc.identifier.eissn1205-7533en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/114497en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherCanadian Science Publishingen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectAtlantic herringen
dc.subjectbait fisheryen
dc.subjectfishery rebuildingen
dc.subjectfishery closureen
dc.subjectenvironmental modellingen
dc.subjectprecautionary principleen
dc.titleDrivers of Atlantic herring decline and evidence basis for fisheries closures and rebuilding plansen
dc.title.serialCanadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciencesen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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