RESEARCH AND INFORMATION 65 



In the remainder of this chapter I suggest approaches 

 to resolving the most conspicuous deficiencies. 



REDIRECniNG RESEARCH PRIORITIES 



Confusion about the objectives and responsibihties of 

 investigative staff dispersed throughout the Department 

 has led to rather arid debates about functional responsi- 

 bilities and whether "pure" or "applied" research should 

 be emphasized. 



In determining the priorities for the Department's 

 research effort we must recognize that other organiza- 

 tions are involved in fisheries and ocean science research 

 and that each has its unique competence and responsibil- 

 ity. These organizations include international commis- 

 sions, universities and foreign bodies. What distinguishes 

 the Department from most of these other organizations is 

 that it is responsible for managing the fisheries. Thus, 

 whatever the needs for pure or applied research, the 

 Department should be guided by the requirements for 

 effective resource management. Therefore, my first rec- 

 ommendation is — 



1. Tlie Department's research priorities sluHild be deter- 

 mined b\ the reqiiirenK'nts for effective nuina^eiiK'nt 

 and consenatlon of Pacific fish resources and their 

 habitats. 



My proposals in the remainder of this chapter are 

 designed to reorient the Department's research effort in 

 this direction. 



I have already pointed to particular information needs 

 relating to salmon habitat (Chapter 3), the condition of 

 the fish stocks (Chapter 2 and later in Chapter 15) and 

 the Salmonid Enhancement Program (Chapter 5), which 

 is a scientific experiment itself. In this chapter I am con- 

 cerned with general requirements for fisheries manage- 

 ment and conservation. 



Investigative activities required for protecting, manag- 

 ing and enhancing the fish resources may be roughly 

 divided into three categories: first, monitoring to provide 

 consistent and accurate information about the stocks; 

 second, short-term, problem-solving research; and third, 

 longer-term investigations to provide the basis for future 

 development. I deal with each of these in turn. 



Monitoring and Assessing Stocks 



The management of our major fisheries is based on 

 assumed relationships between the number of spawning 

 adults and their progeny available for harvest in later 

 years, and on the relationships between growth and mor- 

 tality. These relationships are fundamental; they guide 

 the determination of catch and escapement targets for 

 each stock and the design of fishing plans. So it is crucial 

 that they are well understood, tested, confirmed and 



refined .so that management can proceed with reasonable 

 confidence. 



But a good deal of uncertainty surrounds these basic 

 dynamics governing the producti\ity of some of our 

 major sf>ecies. Scientists differ in their judgements, and 

 the available information is not sufficient to resolve their 

 differences. 



Thus, the most urgent requirement for fisheries man- 

 agement is clarification of the basic biological relation- 

 ships between stock abundance, catches and escape- 

 ments. This involves research using reliable data on the 

 stocks being managed. The required data vary, but for 

 our major species, in particular salmon and herring, the 

 essential data are statistics on catches and escapements 

 and information on the composition of the catches. Other 

 information is sometimes used to a.ssess stocks, some of 

 which I refer to m Chapter 4. 



Catch statistics Tlie basic source of the Department's 

 information on commercial catches are sales slips that 

 record landings. These appear to provide satisfactory 

 data for certain species, such as herring, groundfish and 

 certain shellfish. But for others, notably salmon, sales slip 

 data are seriously deficient and appear to have deterio- 

 rated in recent years. They do not provide adequate 

 information about where catches were taken; they do not 

 include many direct sales to consumers; and they may 

 contain false information. The inadequacy of data on 

 Indian and sport catches is explained in Chapters 14 and 

 15. 



In later chapters of this report, I recommend steps to 

 improve statistical information on landings, in part 

 through cooperative arrangements with the government 

 of British Columbia. 



Fishermen's logbooks are another source of catch data. 

 Halibut fishermen have for many years been required to 

 submit logbooks of their catches to the International 

 Pacific Halibut Commission, and the Department has 

 established a comprehensive logbook system for 

 groundfish and abalone fishermen as well. A voluntary 

 logbook program is now in place for the salmon troll 

 fleet. 



The kind of detailed information provided by logbooks 

 can be extremely valuable for resource management pur- 

 ptises. Mandatory logbook programs should be imposed 

 with discretion, however: they impose a burden on fisher- 

 men; they may not generate as accurate information as 

 voluntary arrangements; and, for large fisheries, they 

 mav generate more data than is needed. The most urgent 

 need appears to be an expanded voluntary logbook pro- 

 gram for the salmon troll fleet capable of providing ade- 

 quate and representative sample of catch information. 



