Proceedings 2009/028

Zonal Science Peer Review of the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) prior to assessment by COSEWIC; 11-12 October, 2005

Chairperson: Nicholas Mandrak

Summary

In January 2005, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) issued a Call for Bids to produce a status report for the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) contract for this status report was awarded to authors drawn from the Canadian Eel Science Working Group (CESWoG) (both from Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and provincial governments), as well as an external author. Lara Cooper, of the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat in Ottawa, organized a peer-review of DFO and non-DFO information holdings which took place at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Quebec City, QC on October 11-12, 2005.

A significant amount of information available for this species has already been peer-reviewed and/or published. In Canada, the American eel is managed by two provinces (Ontario, Quebec) and three DFO Regions (Gulf Region, responsible for Gulf of St. Lawrence drainages of the Maritime Provinces; Maritimes Region, responsible for the Atlantic and Fundy drainages of the Maritime Provinces; and Newfoundland Region, responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador).

Representatives of these jurisdictions met to discuss eel conservation in 1980 (Anon. 1982) and in 1997 (Peterson 1997). Eel status and conservation was discussed at the Eel Working Group of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, in 2000 (ICES 2001), and at the International Eel Symposium in Quebec City in 2003. Concerns about eel status (Anon. 2003) gave rise to the view that an ongoing forum was needed to provide scientific advice on eel management and conservation. Accordingly, the Canadian Eel Science Working Group (CESWoG) was formed, and held its first meeting in December 2003 in Quebec City (Cairns and Casselman 2004), and a second meeting in January 2005 (Cairns and Casselman 2005).

This meeting focused on information that had not previously been distributed in peer-reviewed publications. Participation was by invitation and included participants from DFO Science and Fisheries and Aquaculture Management, provincial governments, industry, NGOs, as well as academia (a list of participants can be found in Appendix 1).

These Proceedings summarize the main discussion points, recommendations, and conclusions of the meeting.

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