Stock assessment in a changing world: quantifying the length of time series data for reliable stock assessments of Lake Whitefish in the Great Lakes

Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) are currently the subject of research to obtain Marine Stewardship Council certification for the fishery in Lake Erie. The declines of Lake Whitefish stocks in Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario have drawn much concern from the fishing industry, regulators, and other stakeholders. Better estimates of the stock status are needed to understand the causes of this decline and to facilitate more sustainable management of these stocks. My project aims
to assess Lake Whitefish stock status by 1) selecting appropriate stock assessment models for Lake Whitefish from a literature review, 2) estimating the stock abundance by fitting selected models to time series data to determine the optimal length that minimizes effects of errors generated from surveys versus ecological processes, and 3) providing advice on future research priorities among improvement of survey techniques, determination of ecological mechanisms responsible for stock dynamics, or both.

Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas Nudds

Student:

Partner:

Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Guelph

Program: