Rougheye and blackspotted rockfish complex and longspine thorny management plan 2012

Official title: Management Plan for the Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish Complex (Sebastes Aleutianus and S. Melanostictus) and Longspine Thornyhead (Sebastolobus Altivelis) in Canada - 2012

Table of contents

  1. Species Information
  2. Management
  3. Proposed implementation schedule
  4. Associated plans
  5. References
  6. Contacts

List of tables

  • Table 1. Threat classification table
  • Table 2. Commercial catches (t) reported for the Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex
  • Table 3. Commercial catches (t) reported for Longspine Thornyhead
  • Table 4. Research survey catches (t) of RBC and LST reported by GFBIO
  • Table 5. Proposed Implementation Schedule

List of figures

  • Figure 1. North American distribution – Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex
  • Figure 2. Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) distribution of Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex
  • Figure 3. North American distribution – Longspine Thornyhead
  • Figure 4. CPUE distribution of Longspine Thornyhead
  • Figure 5. Abundance of the top 20 species in fishing events that captured at least one individual of the Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex in the preferred depth range (170-675m)
  • Figure 6. Abundance of the top 20 species in trawl tows (1996-2006) that captured at least one Longspine Thornyhead in the preferred depth range (500-1400 m)

Sebastes Aleutianus, Sebastes Melanostictus, Sebastolobus Altivelis

Sebastes Aleutianus, Sebastes Melanostictus, Sebastolobus Altivelis

About the Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series

What is the Species at Risk Act (SARA)?

SARA is the Act developed by the federal government as a key contribution to the common national effort to protect and conserve species at risk in Canada. SARA came into force in 2003, and one of its purposes is “to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened.”

What is a species of special concern?

Under SARA, a species of special concern is a wildlife species that could become threatened or endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. Species of special concern are included in the SARA List of Wildlife Species at Risk.

What is a management plan?

Under SARA, a management plan is an action-oriented planning document that identifies the conservation activities and land use measures needed to ensure, at a minimum, that a species of special concern does not become threatened or endangered. For many species, the ultimate aim of the management plan will be to alleviate human threats and remove the species from the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. The plan sets goals and objectives, identifies threats, and indicates the main areas of activities to be undertaken to address those threats.

Management plan development is mandated under Sections 65–72 of SARA.

A management plan has to be developed within three years after the species is added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Five years is allowed for those species that were initially listed when SARA came into force.

What’s next?

Directions set in the management plan will enable jurisdictions, communities, land users, and conservationists to implement conservation activities that will have preventative or restorative benefits. Cost-effective measures to prevent the species from becoming further at risk should not be postponed for lack of full scientific certainty and may, in fact, result in significant cost savings in the future.

The series

This series presents the management plans prepared or adopted by the federal government under SARA. New documents will be added regularly as species get listed and as plans are updated.

To learn more

To learn more about the Species at Risk Act and conservation initiatives, please consult the Species at Risk (SAR) Public Registry .

Recommended citation

Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2011. Management Plan for the Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish Complex (Sebastes aleutianus and S. melanostictus) and Longspine Thornyhead (Sebastolobus altivelis) in Canada [Final]. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. vi+ 49 pp.

Additional copies

Additional copies can be downloaded from the Species at Risk Public Registry.

Cover illustration: Photo credit Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)

Également disponible en français sous le titre Plan de gestion du complexe des sébastes à œil épineux et des sébastes à taches noires (Sebastes aleutianus et S. melanostictus) ainsi que du sébastolobe à longues épines (Sebastolobus altivelis) au Canada »

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, 2011. All rights reserved.
ISBN978-1-100-19145-4
Catalogue no. En3-5/24-2011E-PDF

Content (excluding the illustrations) may be used without permission, with appropriate credit to the source.

Top of page

Preface

The Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex and Longspine Thornyhead are marine fish under the responsibility of the federal government. The Species at Risk Act (SARA, Section 65) requires the competent minister to prepare management plans for species listed as Special Concern. The Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex and Longspine Thornyhead were listed as species of special concern under SARA in 2009. The development of this management plan was led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Pacific Region, in cooperation and consultation with many individuals, organizations and government agencies, as indicated below. The plan meets SARA requirements in terms of content and process (SARA sections 65-68).

Success in the conservation of this species depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different constituencies that will be involved in implementing the directions set out in this plan and will not be achieved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada or any other party alone. This plan provides advice to jurisdictions and organizations that may be involved or wish to become involved in activities to conserve this species. In the spirit of the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans invites all responsible jurisdictions and Canadians to join Fisheries and Oceans Canada in supporting and implementing this plan for the benefit of the Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex and Longspine Thornyhead and Canadian society as a whole. The Minister will report on progress within five years.

Responsible jurisdictions

  • Fisheries and Oceans Canada
  • Environment Canada
  • Parks Canada Agency

Authors

The 2010-2011 Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish Complex and Longspine Thornyhead Technical Team developed this management plan for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Section 6 ‘Contacts’ lists technical team members.

Acknowledgements

Fisheries and Oceans Canada acknowledges all participants who attended the Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish Complex and Longspine Thornyhead Management Plan Technical Workshop (listed in Appendix II). The workshop proceedings provided valuable technical advice which supported the completion of this document.

Strategic environmental assessment statement

A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is conducted on all SARA recovery planning documents, in accordance with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals. The purpose of a SEA is to incorporate environmental considerations into the development of public policies, plans, and program proposals to support environmentally sound decision-making.

Management planning is intended to benefit species at risk and biodiversity in general. However, it is recognized that plans may also inadvertently lead to environmental effects beyond the intended benefits. The planning process based on national guidelines directly incorporates consideration of all environmental effects, with a particular focus on possible impacts upon non-target species or habitats. The results of the SEA are incorporated directly into the plan itself, but are also summarized below.

This management plan will clearly benefit the environment by promoting the conservation of the Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish complex and Longspine Thornyhead. The potential for the plan to inadvertently lead to adverse effects on other species was considered. The SEA concluded that this plan will clearly benefit the environment and will not entail any significant adverse effects. The reader should refer to the following sections of the document in particular: ‘Section 1.4 Needs of the species’, ‘Section 1.5 Ecological role’, ‘Section 1.6 Limiting factors’ and ‘Section 2.3 Actions’.

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