Advancing spatio-temporal stock assessment models to integrate high-resolution seafloor mapping data in order to achieve sustainable harvest strategies for Canadian shellfish

海洋是加拿大文化、环境、公共卫生和经济的组成部分。海洋经济雇用了315，000多名加拿大人，每年为国内生产总值（GDP）贡献超过260亿加元。大西洋加拿大的商业渔业主要由底栖贝类组成，2019年价值超过30亿加元。将空间信息纳入这些贝类种群的评估和管理的重要性早已被认识到。由于底栖贝类种群的密度分布与底质类型密切相关，因此可以通过海底生境图较好地表示。这些地图与地理空间渔业数据相结合，具有巨大的潜力，可以提高我们对贝类种群动态的空间格局和复杂性以及对捕捞的反应的理解。Clearwater Seafoods之间合作的目标（Clearwater）、E 'sukutimkewey和加拿大渔业和海洋部将：（A）开发将高分辨率数据流纳入下一代时空种群评估模型所需的统计框架和支持软件;以及B）为底栖贝类制定更可持续的捕捞策略通过在恢复和其他相关进程中纳入关于时空变异性的新知识，利用北极海蛤（Mactromeris polynyma）作为案例研究，这一伙伴关系将产生以下成果和影响：1）将高分辨率环境数据充分纳入种群评估模型和相关捕捞战略进程; 2）提高对设定可持续捕捞水平的信心; 3）更好地了解如何实施基于生态系统的轮捕战略;和4）知识和技术转移到整个加拿大的股票评估科学家和渔业管理人员。这将直接导致根据《渔业法》（正式为C-68号法案）新的鱼类种群规定对渔业科学提出更多的要求。

The ocean is an integral part of Canada's culture, environment, public health and economy. The ocean economy employs more than 315,000 Canadians and contributes more than $26 billion of gross domestic product (GDP) each year. Atlantic Canada's commercial fishery is built primarily from benthic shellfish, valued at over $3 billion in 2019. The importance of incorporating spatial information into the assessment and management of these shellfish populations has long been recognized. Due to the strong association with substrate type, density distributions of benthic shellfish stocks can be relatively well represented by seafloor habitat maps. These maps, combined with geospatial fisheries data, have tremendous potential to improve our understanding of the spatial patterns and complexities of shellfish population dynamics and responses to fishing. The goals of this partnership between Clearwater Seafoods (Clearwater), E'sukutimkewey, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) are to: A) develop the statistical framework and supporting software needed to integrate high-resolution data streams into the next generation of spatio-temporal stock assessment models; and B) devise more sustainable harvest strategies for benthic shellfish (and other) species by incorporating new knowledge of spatio-temporal variability in recovery and other relevant processes. Using Arctic surfclam (Mactromeris polynyma) as a case study, this partnership will give rise to the following outcomes and impacts: 1) full integration of high-resolution environmental data into stock assessment models and associated harvest strategy processes; 2) greater confidence in the setting of sustainable removal levels; 3) better understanding of how ecosystem-based rotational fishing strategies can be implemented; and 4) knowledge- and technology-transfer to stock assessment scientists and fisheries managers across Canada. This will directly contribute to the additional demands for fisheries science under the new Fish Stocks Provisions of the Fisheries Act (Formally Bill C-68).