Analysis of match–mismatch between commercial fishing periods and spawning ecology of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), based on winter surveys and behavioural data from electronic archival tags

Abstract

Abstract Loher, T. 2011. Analysis of match–mismatch between commercial fishing periods and spawning ecology of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), based on winter surveys and behavioural data from electronic archival tags. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 2240–2251. The fishery for halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in the eastern Pacific is closed during the boreal winter, roughly corresponding to the seasonal spawning of the species. Opening and closing dates for each season are stipulated annually based on economics and biology. Historical surveys and data from electronic tags are analysed to assess the extent to which recent closures have encompassed the annual spawning cycle of the species, as defined by migration to offshore spawning sites, active spawning, and return to feeding areas. These were assessed by calculating mean maximum daily depth profiles for fish exhibiting seasonal migration, calculating the date-specific proportions of the tagged population either migrating to or resident on their feeding or spawning grounds, and examining the temporal distribution of spent and running fish in historical surveys along with evidence of spawning contained in high-resolution tag data. The data indicate that fishery closures over the past 20 years have been consistently too short to protect the entirety of a migration period that begins as early as September and is not substantially completed until May. Additionally, some recent season openings have encroached on the active spawning season. Failure to fully protect spawning migrations may allow seasonal interception fisheries, and the selective removal of early and late spawners could cause changes in stock demographics, restrict effective spawning, and influence long-term stock productivity, especially in the face of environmental variability.