Incorporating fish movement and sensitive benthic habitat in the ecosystem approach to fishery management of Canada’s sablefish fishery

British Columbia’s sablefish fishery is among the most highly valuable fisheries in Canada. In the early 1990s, mainland inlets were closed to commercial fishing because young sablefish were thought to grow in these protected areas before moving to the offshore areas where the fishery operates; we will look at movement patterns of sablefish within BC to understand the net contribution of these inlet sablefish to the offshore fishery to aid fishery managers. Additionally, avoiding sablefish trap gear contact with vulnerable species, such as cold-water corals, is challenging because the locations of these species are generally unknown, although they do occur in areas where the sablefish fishery operates. We will create maps that show probable locations of these vulnerable species to help the fishery avoid these areas. Both understanding movement and vulnerable species locations could help to reduce ecological damage while maintaining yield of this important fishery.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sean Cox

Student:

Brendan Aulthouse;Olivia Gemmell;Meghan Burton

Partner:

Wild Canadian Sablefish Ltd.

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Simon Fraser University