Health of the Bay of Fundy: Assessing Key Issues BIOLOGICAL REFERENCE POINTS FOR BAY OF FUNDY

Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, is an anadromous species of fish indigenous to many rivers in eastern North America. Within the Bay of Fundy, they support commercial and recreational fisheries of local economic importance, are biologically important as both predators and prey, and can serve as vectors for nutrient transport from marine to freshwater ecosystems. Biological reference points (BRPs) are indices, based on the biological characteristics of a fish stock, that are used to gauge whether specific management objectives, such as maintaining stocks at a level capable of producing long-term maximum sustainable yield (MSY), are being achieved. Using a meta-analysis of eight alewife populations in North America, including data for two rivers flowing into the Bay of Fundy, we have estimated several BRPs that can be used to assess the status of alewife fisheries in this region. Using a simulation model, we found that an F35 % strategy would produce greater than 90 % MSY for populations in this region, and was more precautionary than Fmsy if the maximum reproductive rate of a population is overestimated. This rate corresponds to an exploitation rate of 38 % for the Mactaquac Headpond population and 42 % for the Gaspereau River population