Spatial Ecology of Atlantic Halibut across the Northwest Atlantic: A Recovering Species in an Era of Climate Change

Shackell, Nancy L.; Fisher, Jonathan A. D.; Heyer, Cornelia E. den; Hennen, Daniel; Seitz, Andrew C.; Bris, Arnault Le; Robert, Dominique; Kersula, Michael; Cadrin, Steven X.; McBride, Richard S.; McGuire, Christopher; Kess, Tony; Ransier, Krista T.; Liu, Chang; Czich, Andrew; Frank, Kenneth T.

doi:10.1080/23308249.2021.1948502

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…In Australia, the harvest control rule for western rock lobster ( Panulirus cygnus, Palinuridae) includes the ENSO‐related Southern Oscillation Index, local ocean currents, rainfall, sea level height and SST (de Lestang et al, 2012) and climate projections to 2030 were factored into an MSE for sea cucumbers (Plagányi et al, 2013). Internationally, changes in the spatial distributions of species primarily due to ocean warming are expected to affect national catch potential in exclusive economic zones and international waters (Hare et al, 2016; Hollowed et al, 2013; Maureaud et al, 2021; Mills et al, 2013; Pinsky & Fogarty, 2012; Shackell et al, 2014; Shackell et al, 2021) and have already led to social conflicts within and between countries (Barange et al, 2018; Daw et al, 2009; Grafton, 2010; Østhagen et al, 2020; Pinsky et al, 2018; Spijkers & Boonstra, 2017). Environmental variables are being used to inform short‐term spatial forecasting of the spawning habitat of blue whiting ( Micromesistius poutassou , Gadidae) in the eastern Atlantic and to improve catchability (SST and climatology models) of southern bluefin tuna ( Thunnus maccoyii , Scombridae) on seasonal scales (Eveson et al, 2015; Hobday et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating knowledge of changes in climatic, oceanographic and ecological conditions in Canadian stock assessments

et al. 2022

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Environmental impacts on fisheries are pervasive, yet methods to account for them in stock assessments and management decisions vary in rigour and quality. The prevalence and efficacy of methods to account for environmental impacts are not well documented, limiting our ability to adequately respond to future environmental and climate changes for adaptive resource management. In Canada, legislation now requires that environmental conditions are considered in the management of fish stocks, yet the current extent of implementation in assessment processes is poorly understood. We assessed the use of climate, oceanographic and ecological considerations in science advisory processes for 178 stock assessments by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We evaluated whether these considerations were included in conceptual hypotheses about broad‐scale mechanisms, quantitative or qualitative analyses, and the development of management advice on current or future stock status. Conceptual hypotheses were included in 46% of assessments; quantitative inclusions occurred in 21% of assessments, while qualitative interpretations appeared in 31% of assessments; and 27% of assessments included climate, oceanographic and/or ecological considerations in the advice. Assessments of salmonids, invertebrates and pelagic taxa more frequently made use of environmental data than those for groundfish and elasmobranchs. Comparing our findings with assessments in other jurisdictions highlighted a gap in Canada's ability to respond to environmental changes and a need to develop integrated management approaches, such as regional ecosystem assessments and approaches that combine modelling and empirical analyses, with socio‐economic analysis within interdisciplinary teams.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating knowledge of changes in climatic, oceanographic and ecological conditions in Canadian stock assessments

et al. 2022

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“…The two flatfish species are characterized by discrete stocks in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL) (DFO, 2021; Gauthier et al ., 2021). Despite their high commercial importance, larval ecology remains poorly resolved for both species (Dominguez‐Petit et al ., 2013; Duffy‐Anderson et al ., 2013; Shackell et al ., 2022), and most of the knowledge on early life stages comes from laboratory studies (AH: Blaxter et al ., 1983; Dominguez‐Petit et al ., 2013; Jonassen et al ., 1999; Mangor‐Jensen et al ., 1997; Pittman et al ., 1990; GH: Stene et al ., 1998; Stickney & Liu, 1993). In fact, only about 60 larvae captured at sea have been reported for AH over the whole species distribution (Bergstad & Gordon, 1993; Haug, 1990; Van Der Meeren et al ., 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

A first glimpse of larval ecology of halibut species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

Ghinter

Anderson

Robert

et al. 2023

Journal of Fish Biology

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Knowledge of the larval ecology of winter‐spawning fish from the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, remains scarce due to the seasonal ice cover that prevents ichthyoplankton sampling using conventional methods. Two winter‐spawning species, Atlantic halibut (AH, Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and Greenland halibut (GH, Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), support the most important groundfish fisheries of this area. In March 2020, the authors captured 10 halibut larvae ranging in size from 5 to 14 mm during an opportunistic survey in the GSL onboard an icebreaking vessel. Of these, eight were AH and two GH. Judging by their very small size, the larvae were only a few days old, suggesting that the spawning grounds are close to the capture sites. This effort constitutes a first step in validating the putative spawning areas for these two important GSL stocks. This knowledge is important for the conservation and sustainable management of these fisheries.

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“…For example, high local juvenile density or survival in small-scale studies (Beck et al, 2001) may not translate to high secondary production in a population if per-unit-area productivity of a potential nursery habitat is negated by the small area of a habitat in the seascape (Dahlgren et al, 2006;Nagelkerken et al, 2015). For robust evaluation of nursery habitats at sub-population or population scales, small-scale field studies should be complemented with analyses of large-scale field data, especially when informing decision-making within the context of EBFM (Shackell et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Modeling of Nursery Habitat Using Bayesian Inference: Environmental Drivers of Juvenile Blue Crab Abundance

et al. 2022

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Nursery grounds provide conditions favorable for growth and survival of juvenile fish and crustaceans through abundant food resources and refugia, and enhance secondary production of populations. While small-scale studies remain important tools to assess nursery value of structured habitats and environmental factors, targeted applications that unify survey data over large spatial and temporal scales are vital to generalize inference of nursery function, identify highly productive regions, and inform management strategies. Using 21 years of spatio-temporally indexed survey data (i.e., water chemistry, turbidity, blue crab, and predator abundance) and GIS information on potential nursery habitats (i.e., seagrass, salt marsh, and unvegetated shallow bottom), we constructed five Bayesian hierarchical models with varying spatial and temporal dependence structures to infer variation in nursery habitat value for young juveniles (20–40 mm carapace width) of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus within three tributaries (James, York and Rappahannock Rivers) in lower Chesapeake Bay. Out-of-sample predictions of juvenile blue crab counts from a model considering fully nonseparable spatiotemporal dependence outperformed predictions from simpler models. Salt marsh surface area and turbidity were the strongest determinants of crab abundance (positive association in both cases). Highest crab abundances occurred near the turbidity maximum where relative salt marsh area was greatest. Relative seagrass area, which has been emphasized as the most valuable nursery in studies conducted at small spatial scales, was not associated with high crab abundance within the three tributaries. Hence, salt marshes should be considered a key nursery habitat for the blue crab, even where extensive seagrass beds occur. The patterns between juvenile blue crab abundance and environmental variables also indicated that identification of nurseries should be based on investigations at broad spatial and temporal scales incorporating multiple potential nursery habitats, and based on statistical analyses that address spatial and temporal statistical dependence.

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Spatial Ecology of Atlantic Halibut across the Northwest Atlantic: A Recovering Species in an Era of Climate Change

Cited by 17 publications

References 109 publications

Incorporating knowledge of changes in climatic, oceanographic and ecological conditions in Canadian stock assessments

Incorporating knowledge of changes in climatic, oceanographic and ecological conditions in Canadian stock assessments

A first glimpse of larval ecology of halibut species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

Spatiotemporal Modeling of Nursery Habitat Using Bayesian Inference: Environmental Drivers of Juvenile Blue Crab Abundance

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