The current status of operational oceanography and its integration in fishery resource stock assessments in the Newfoundland Region of Atlantic Canada

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

Environmental observations and ocean climate variability indices are routinely collected and complied by fisheries laboratories in many ICES member countries throughout the North Atlantic. Variations in the physical oceanographic environment are thought to influence the abundance (recruitment, survival), and behavior (distribution, catchability) of many marine organisms and hence the management and operations of the fishing industry. Therefore, the integration of environmental information into fishery resource stock assessments for management requirements in a quantitative manner is a pressing issue and one that is receiving increasing attention. A review of preliminary efforts in the Newfoundland Region of Atlantic Canada to incorporate environmental information into fish and invertebrate stock assessments is presented. In general, variations in the oceanographic environment appear to be associated with trends in production in several marine species inferred from commercial fisheries (CPUE) and assessment surveys. Results indicate that environmental factors may be important at early life history stages, particularly for crustacean populations. Statistical models were employed to explore relationships between invertebrate production and changes in the oceanographic environment in Newfoundland waters. The results indicate that even though the uncertainty in the predictions is generally large, the information can be a valuable addition to a suite of indicators used to assess current status and future prospects for the management of a number of species of marine organisms.