Tag Archives: Elisabeth Van Beveren
Predators take big bite out of declining Atlantic mackerel population
Predators ate at least twice as many Atlantic mackerel as commercial fishery landings in the decade leading up to Canada’s region-wide moratorium, according to new research by Canadian and American scientists. The study also found seals are a major predator, lending credence to what many fishermen have long claimed. The modelling study was published this month by the federal Fisheries Department and the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. The top predators were gannets, grey seals, dogfish and bluefin tuna. In the most conservative estimate, predators removed between 21,000 and 29,000 tonnes annually between 2012 and 2021 — at least two times greater than Canadian commercial landings reported as 11,000 tonnes per year. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:26
Atlantic mackerel population continues to decline a year after fishery moratorium
The Atlantic mackerel population is continuing to decline after a decade of falling numbers, according to a federal assessment presented to industry and environmental groups in Halifax this week. According to the 2022 assessment, mackerel stock remains in the “critical zone” — where serious harm is occurring — and the average number of fish reaching spawning age is only 27 per cent of what it was between 1969 and 2011. “The amount of young fish entering your population has been rather low in the last couple of years. That’s concerning,” Elisabeth Van Beveren, a biologist with the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans, said. In Newfoundland and Labrador, seafood companies and fishermen have claimed for years that DFO has it all wrong because mackerel are plentiful around their coast. >click to read< 15:32
Input sought for Northwest Atlantic mackerel research
Researcher working on management advice for mackerel stocks seeking participation from fishermen in survey An informal survey of Canadian Atlantic mackerel commercial, recreational and bait fishers will soon be completed. Elisabeth Van Beveren, a post-doctoral researcher from Belgium working in Canada on northwest Atlantic mackerel, says she hopes to have most answers by mid-November. If results are still being received, she may extend the deadline. She is working with scientists at the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) in order to better estimate the size of the Canadian mackerel stock. Van Beveren says she has heard from about 360 people to date. Read the story here 10:02
