Report of the Cod Mixing Workshop

The purpose of the meeting was primarily to examine new analyses of the issue and to determine: 1) whether changes needed to be incorporated in the fall 2000 3Ps stock assessment and the winter 2001 northern Gulf assessment and, 2) whether there are management implications for the upcoming fishing seasons. [...] The results from these scenarios would be described in the stock status reports to provide possible indication of the uncertainties associated with the mixing of the two stocks. [...] The meeting was organized in response to concerns that mixing between the 3Pn4RS and 3Ps cod stocks during the over-wintering period impact both the stock assessments and the management of these stocks. [...] While acknowledging that a delay in the timing of the entire 3Ps survey to later in the spring may confound efforts to estimate 3Ps cod abundance before any inshore migration, there may be benefits to delaying the survey of the Burgeo Bank region to the latter part of April." b) Recap of 1999 Rimouski ZAP meeting •. A conclusion of HP project: 3Pn4RS and 3Ps cod are found in a 3:1 ratio in the Bur [...] Lawrence and its approaches, determine the stock composition and geographic extent of the winter mixing zones, and assess the validity of the current cod management units.