International Efforts to Assess the Status of Pacific Sardine Stocks
Fisheries Resources Division
Scientists from the U.S. and Canada are working together to strengthen Pacific sardine stock assessments. SWFSC scientists conduct regular Pacific sardine stock assessments to determine harvest guidelines for this economically important species. In May, Canadian and NMFS scientists, together with independent experts, considered how to integrate data from Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s West Coast Vancouver Island swept-area trawl survey (WCVI) into the Pacific sardine stock assessment.
Preliminary results of the review suggest that including the Canadian survey data could strengthen and enhance the U.S. stock assessment in the future, especially as the survey evolves. Inclusion of the Canadian survey into the assessment may provide valuable insights into the northern most extension of the Pacific sardine population, the largest size classes, and the timing and extent of migration during different years. The Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider whether to incorporate the Canadian data into the U.S. stock assessment based on the independent review results. The earliest the data could be incorporated would be for the 2014 fishing season.
For more information on SWFSC’s coastal pelagic research programs, please visit the Fisheries Research Division
Management information on Pacific sardine in U.S. waters may be found at the Council’s website: http://www.pcouncil.org/coastal-pelagic-species/background-information/