ICES Advice 2006, Book 10 - North Atlantic Salmon Stocks

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Main Tasks 1

1.2 Management framework for salmon in the North Atlantic 2

1.3 Management objectives 3

1.4 Reference points and application of precaution 3

2 ATLANTIC SALMON IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC AREA 5

2.1 Catches of North Atlantic Salmon 5

2.1.1 Nominal catches of salmon 5

2.1.2 Catch and release 5

2.1.3 Unreported catches 5

2.2 Farming and sea ranching of Atlantic salmon 6

2.3 NASCO has asked ICES to report on significant developments which might assist NASCO with the management of salmon stocks, including new or emerging threats to, or opportunities for, salmon conservation and management 6

2.3.1 Evaluation of options to develop a multi-year forecast of PFANA abundance 6

2.3.2 Post-smolt trawling in the Labrador Sea, Fall 2005 6

2.3.3 Fatty acid profiles and stock discrimination 6

2.3.4 Preliminary investigations into the deterrence of cormorants to reduce predation on migratory smolts 7

2.4 NASCO has asked ICES to report on developments in methods to identify origin of Atlantic salmon at a finer resolution than continent of origin (river stocks, country or stock complexes) 7

2.4.1 West Greenland mixed stock fishery 7

2.4.2 Spatio-temporal distribution of North American Atlantic salmon populations off West Greenland 7

2.4.3 St. Pierre and Miquelon mixed stock fishery 7

2.5 NASCO has asked ICES to describe sampling programmes for escaped farmed salmon, the precision of the identification methods employed and the reliability of the estimates obtained 8

2.5.1 Techniques for identifying escaped farmed salmon 8

2.5.2 Sampling programmes in different countries 9

2.5.3 Behaviour of escaped farmed salmon. 9

2.6 NASCO has asked ICES to provide an assessment of the minimum information needed which would signal a significant change in the previously provided catch advice for each Commission area 9

2.7 Compilation of tag releases and finclip data by ICES member countries in 2005 10

2.8 Analysis of historic tagging data 10

3 NORTH-EAST ATLANTIC COMMISSION 18

3.1 Status of stocks/exploitation 18

3.2 Management objectives 19

3.3 Reference points 19

3.3.1 Progress with setting river-specific conservation limits 19

3.3.2 National conservation limits 19

3.4 Management advice 19

3.5 Relevant factors to be considered in management 20

3.6 Pre-Fishery Abundance forecast for 2006 20

3.7 Pre-Fishery Abundance forecast for 2007–2008 21

3.8 Comparison with previous assessment 21

3.8.1 PFA forecast model 21

3.8.2 National PFA model and national conservation limit model 21

3.9 NASCO has requested ICES to describe the key events of the 2005 fisheries and the status of the stocks 21

3.9.1 Fishing at Faroes in 2004/2005 21

3.9.2 Significant events in NEAC homewater fisheries in 2005 21

3.9.3 Gear and effort 21

3.9.4 Catches 22

3.9.5 Catch per unit effort (CPUE) 22

3.9.6 Age composition of catches 22

3.9.7 Farmed and ranched salmon in catches 22

3.9.8 National origin of catches 22

3.9.9 Trends in the PFA for NEAC stocks 23

3.9.10 Survival Indices for NEAC stocks 23

3.10 NASCO has requested ICES to provide any new information on the extent to which the objectives of any significant management measures introduced in recent years have been achieved. 23

3.11 NASCO has requested ICES to update and further refine estimates of bycatch of salmon in pelagic fisheries (including non-catch fishing mortality) with an assessment of impacts on returns to homewaters 24

4 NORTH AMERICAN COMMISSION 32

4.1 Status of stocks/exploitation 32

4.2 Management objectives 32

4.3 Reference points 32

4.4 Management advice 32

4.5 Relevant factors to be considered in management 32

4.6 Revised forecast of 2SW maturing fish for 2006 32

4.6.1 Catch options for 2006 fisheries on 2SW maturing salmon 32

4.7 Catch options for 2007–2009 fisheries on 2SW maturing salmon 33

4.8 Comparison with previous assessment and advice 33

4.9 NASCO has requested ICES to describe the key events of the 2005 fisheries and the status of the stocks 33

4.9.1 Fisheries in 2005 33

4.9.2 Status of the stocks 34

4.10 NASCO has requested ICES to provide any new information on the extent to which the objectives of any significant management measures introduced in recent years have been achieved. 35

5 ATLANTIC SALMON IN THE WEST GREENLAND COMMISSION 40

5.1 Status of stocks/exploitation 40

5.2 Management objectives 40

5.3 Reference points 40

5.4 Management advice 41

5.5 Relevant factors to be considered in management 41

5.6 Pre-Fishery Abundance forecast for 2006 41

5.6.1 North American stock complex 41

5.6.2 Southern European MSW stock complex 41

5.7 Pre-Fishery Abundance forecast for 2007 and 2008 42

5.7.1 North American stock complex 42

5.7.2 5.7.2 Southern European MSW stock complex 42

5.8 Comparison with previous assessment and advice 42

5.9 NASCO has requested ICES to describe the events of the 2005 fishery and status of the stocks 42

5.9.1 Catch and effort in 2005 42

5.9.2 Biological characteristics of the catches. 43