Terms of Reference

Assessment of Habitat Quality and Habitat Use by the Striped Bass Population of the St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec

Scientific Peer Review Meeting - Quebec Region

April 13, 2010

Quebec Aquarium (La Petite Ourse room), Quebec

Co-chairs: Charley Cyr and Marthe Bérubé 

Context

In November 2004, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) designated the striped bass (Morone saxatilis, Walbaum, 1972) population of the St. Lawrence Estuary as extirpated. The disappearance of this striped bass population was reported in the late 1960s. In 2002, the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec (MRNF) began a reintroduction strategy in order to establish a new population able to reproduce and sustain itself.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), as the lead department for the Species at Risk Act (SARA) for aquatic species, has begun consultations for adding the striped bass population of the St. Lawrence Estuary to SARA’s list of species at risk. Should striped bass be added to the list, the Act states that Critical Habitat must be identified to the extent possible based on the best information available in the Recovery Strategy for all threatened, endangered or extirpated species. If this Critical Habitat is unknown, the recovery strategy must include a schedule of studies that, when completed, would allow the species’ Critical Habitat to be identified. Once identified in a Recovery Strategy or Action Plan, Critical Habitat will be protected by the provisions of SARA and/or other federal legislations that would destroy the species’ Critical Habitat.

To support, to the extent possible, the designation of critical habitat for striped bass of the St. Lawrence Estuary in the Recovery Strategy, a review of the knowledge on the habitats used by this species prior to its disappearance and since its reintroduction will be presented and discussed at a scientific peer review meeting. This meeting is aimed at assessing the habitat quality and habitat use by the striped bass population of the St. Lawrence Estuary in order to identify important and Critical Habitats for the recovery of the species. In the event the striped bass Critical Habitat as a whole cannot be identified, the gaps in the knowledge necessary to provide full designation of Critical Habitat will be identified.

Objectives

The objectives of this scientific peer review meeting are as follow:

1. Describe the annual use of habitat by striped bass for the different development stages;
2. Assess the habitat quality necessary for the different development stages;
3. Identify knowledge gaps concerning habitat use and assessment of habitat quality;

In order to obtain the necessary information to conduct consultations, recommend the designation of Critical Habitat and begin planning for species recovery, it would be best to meet the following points in providing a Science Advisory Report in support of identifying Critical Habitat (from DFO 2007. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2007/038).

1. Provide descriptions of habitat properties for successful completion of all life history stages of striped bass of the St. Lawrence Estuary ;
2. Provide information and formulate advice on the spatial extent of areas that are likely to have the necessary properties while considering the quality of these habitats;
3. Quantify, the presence and extent of spatial configuration constraints, if any, such as connectivity, barriers to access, etc.;.
4. Provide advice on the degree to which supply of suitable habitat meets the demands of the species both at present, and when the species reaches biologically based recovery targets for abundance, range, and number of populations;
5. Provide advice on feasibility of restoring habitat to higher values, if supply may not meet demand by the time recovery targets would be reached to achieve recovery targets for population size and range;
6. Provide advice on the inherent risks of deciding to designate only certain Critical Habitats when supply exceeds demand (e.g. designate two Critical Habitats when three are available);
7. Identify the activities most likely to threaten the properties that give the sites their value and provide advice on the extent to which various threats can alter the quality of habitat that is available or its range and ways to mitigate these threats;
8. Recommend research or analysis activities that are necessary to complete knowledge acquisition on issues related to the habitat of striped bass of the St. Lawrence Estuary.

Products

Following the meeting, Proceedings summarizing the exchanges between participants will be prepared. Moreover, the review of knowledge and advice from the meeting will be published as Science advisory Reports. These documents will be published on the website of the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) of DFO.

Participants

DFO experts
Experts from the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec
Other experts