Pacific Hake/Whiting Treaty: Scientific Review Group Meeting

The Scientific Review Group will meet in February 2024 to review the draft Pacific hake/whiting stock assessment

About

The Scientific Review Group (SRG) created under the Pacific Whiting Treaty between the Governments of the United States and Canada will meet on February 06-09, 2024 in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, to review and provide a report on the draft 2024 stock assessment authored by the Treaty’s Joint Technical Committee (JTC). Preliminary agenda items include: an overview of 2023 fisheries catch data, presentation and review of the 2024 draft stock assessment and the ongoing Management Strategy Evaluation, and discussion of current and planned research projects and surveys.

There will be opportunity for public comment.

Background information and documents for this meeting can be found on the Pacific Hake/Whiting Treaty page.

Event Info

Location

Departure Bay Room A/B
Vancouver Island Conference Centre
101 Gordon Street
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5J8

Dates and Times:

Tuesday, February 6, 2024: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Pacific time)
Wednesday, February 7, 2024: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 8, 2024: 9:00 am – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, February 9, 2024: 9:00 am – 1:00 p.m.

Remote Attendance

To join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone, click the link below:
https://meet.google.com/
1) Enter the meeting code: tcb-vqcx-tgp
2) Click “Join”
3) Sign into a Google account

- OR -

If you do not have a Google Account, enter a nickname and click “Ask to join” meeting. The meeting organizer will you grant access.

To join the meeting by phone-only, call:

United States (toll): +1 478-974-9012‬
US PIN: PIN: ‪ 878 796 258‬#
Canada (toll): +1 437-781-4585
CA PIN: 884 018 826 7159#

Schedule

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Departure Bay Room A/B

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

09:00	Welcome and Introductions
	Resolve immediate connection/communication problems
09:15	Review and Approve Meeting Agenda (Chair)
	Review Terms of Reference for Assessments and Review Meeting Meeting report mechanics Assignment of reporting duties Review of meeting norms and expected behaviours Review procedures for resolving communication issues throughout the meeting
09:30	2023 Integrated Ecosystem & Pacific Hake Acoustic-Trawl Survey (Survey Team)
	Integrated acoustic-trawl survey results including Biomass Indices, Age-Composition Data
10:45	*Break*
11:00	Fisheries, Data, and Inputs Used in the 2024 Assessment (JTC & AP Advisors)
	2023 Fisheries Catch, Size, and Age Composition Data Canadian Waters U.S. Waters
11:30	Modeling of time-varying weight-at-age - Andrea Odell, Kelli Johnson
12:00	Modeling temporal and spatial trends in hake maturity-at-age – Eric Ward
12:30	*Lunch*
13:45	2024 Pacific Hake/Whiting Assessment Modeling (JTC)
	Methods, results and discussion Model performance and diagnostics: sensitivities and retrospectives Forecasts and management implications Discussion
15:00	*Break*
15:15	2024 Pacific Hake/Whiting Assessment Modeling (cont.) (JTC)
16:00	Public Comment
16:15	SRG discussion, develop list of requests for JTC, as needed
16:30	SRG Closed Work Session
17:00 Adjourn for the day

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Departure Bay Room A/B

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

09:00	Discussion of previous day, follow-up questions, review results of assigned tasks
09:30	Pacific hake/Whiting Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) Update (MSET, JTC)
	Responses to SRG recommendations Update on MSE process & 2024 work plan SRG Discussion & Recommendations
10:30	*Break*
10:45	Review responses to 2023 SRG Stock Assessment Recommendations (JTC)
	SRG discussion, develop list of requests for JTC, as needed
12:00	*Lunch*
13:30	Update on ecosystem and life-history research
14:30	Investigating NOAA’s Rockfish Recruitment and Ecosystem Assessment Survey data to provide early indications of Pacific Hake recruitment – Andrew Edwards
15:00	*Break*
15:15	Review responses to 2023 SRG Ecosystem and Life-History Research Recommendations (JTC)
	SRG discussion, develop list of requests for JTC, as needed
16:00	Public Comment
16:15	SRG discussion, requests for additional information JTC, Survey Team, and MSE, as needed
16:30	SRG Closed Work Session
17:00 *Adjourn for the day*

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Departure Bay Room A/B

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

09:00	Discussion of previous day, follow-up questions, review results of assigned tasks
09:30	Integrated West Coast Pelagic Survey and Pacific Hake Acoustic-Trawl Survey Research (Survey Team)
	Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey updates and planned 2024 research
	SRG Discussion & Recommendations
10:30	*Break*
10:45	Ongoing Research (Survey Team)
	Hollings project on hake movement and migration - Lasker & Shimada acoustics data (Maddie Reifsteck) Updates on Research & Collaborative Projects (Canada & US)
12:00	*Lunch*
13:30	Review of 2023 SRG Survey Recommendations (Survey Team)
13:45	Updates on any other hake-related research projects (JTC/Survey)
	Ocean Observations and Environmental Analyses (Survey Team)
15:00	*Break*
15:15	SRG Discussion & Work Session
	Stock assessment model finalization and management outcomes (as needed) Finalize research needs/priorities for assessment, survey, and MSE
16:00	Public Comment
16:15	SRG discussion, requests for additional information JTC, Survey Team, and MSE, as needed
16:30	SRG Closed Work Session
17:00 Adjourn for the day

Friday, February 9, 2024

Departure Bay Room A/B

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

09:00	Review of previous day, follow-up questions, etc.
09:30	SRG discussion continued of research needs for 2020 and longer-term Evaluation of base model and primary sources of uncertainty MSE methodology and approaches
10:00	Final SRG discussion, report review, requests for additional information, etc.
12:00	Distribution and review status of notes and draft SRG Report
13:00 SRG Meeting Adjourn

Last updated by West Coast Regional Office on 02/01/2024