Population integrity and connectivity in Northwest Atlantic herring: A review of assumptions and evidence

Abstract

The issue of herring population structure has been debated for more than a century. Population integrity and connectivity have become an increasingly important problem for both resource evaluation (e.g. concern for the use of appropriate modelling approaches) and management (e.g. increasing attention to the preservation of within-species diversity and the complexity of mixed-stock fisheries). In recent decades, there has been considerable advancement in the scientific information related to herring population structure, but papers continue to demonstrate a spectrum of conclusions related to population integrity and connectivity at various scales. We review herring stock structure in the western Atlantic, specifically addressing the assumptions currently being used in management and the validity of scientific evidence on which these assumptions are based. Herring of the western Atlantic exhibit considerable population discreteness and limited connectivity on the temporal and spatial scales that are of relevance to management. Maintaining the resulting population complexity is a challenge, particularly because preservation of within-species diversity is an important element of an ecosystem approach to management.