Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture has announced $92,850 in funding to help the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research study mackerel, cod and halibut.
An investment of $30,000 will be used to investigate whether major spawning grounds of the Northwest Atlantic mackerel stock have shifted north, outside of the traditional survey area in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. The possibility of substantial spawning off the northeast coast of Newfoundland has never been investigated and should new spawning areas be identified, this will provide valuable new data for the assessment of mackerel in Atlantic Canada.
The cod satellite tagging program will be further developed with $33,000 in funding, and an investment of $29,850 will be used to enhance and expand Atlantic halibut tagging.
“Our government is committed to supporting fisheries research projects that enhance information about the species in our waters, which in turn helps the industry plan for the future,” said Vaughn Granter, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “This investment of $92,850 will go towards a beneficial new survey of mackerel stock, and expand the province’s advanced tagging programs for cod and halibut that are providing valuable data on species migration patterns, distribution, habitat and behaviour.”
The field work on projects will commence in the spring and conclude in the autumn of this year, with results expected to be available in early 2016.
