Northwest Atlantic redfish science priorities for managing an enigmatic species complex

Redfish (Sebastes spp.) in the Northwest Atlantic (NWA) extend from Baffin Island in the north to the Gulf of Maine in the south. The two most abundant species are Sebastes mentella and Sebastes fasciatus, which are morphometrically similar and difficult to visually distinguish. Redfish are long-lived, slow-growing, late-maturing, tend to produce large year classes episodically, and have complex population structure. Intraspecific genetic groups are abundant in the NWA. They are often semipelagic and patchily distributed, which makes them difficult to survey. These are all characteristics that cause difficulties for stock assessment and for sustainable fisheries management. This was the focus of The Ocean Frontier Institute Northwest Atlantic Redfish Symposium in 2018. In this paper, we synthesize the information known about NWA redfish. To improve the scientific basis for sustainable harvest strategies, key research recommendations involve (1) improved biological sampling including species and ecotype; (2) developing integrated stock assessment models; (3) developing harvest strategies with management reference points that are appropriate for redfish; (4) improving fishing technology and practices to avoid capture of small nonmarketable redfish and other species.