JOINT NORTHERN BOUNDARY TECHNICAL COMMITTEE

Joint Northern Boundary Technical Committee. Research Needs and Priorities for Sockeye, Pink Chum, and Steelhead Salmon in the Northern Boundary Area. TCNB (93)-1. November, 1993.

The Standing Committee on Research and Statistics of the Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) requested each technical committee to identify and prioritize their information and research needs. The Northern Boundary Technical Committee addressed this request by providing the Research and Statistics Committee with a draft of this report at their November 4-5, 1992, meeting. This document finalizes this November 1992 report as an official PSC publication. We have not attempted to make this report current to November 1993.

Escapement enumeration, stock identification, and in-season abundance estimation activities were identified as research priorities for sockeye, pink, and chum. Programs to better estimate catch, escapement, and management options for reducing catches of steelhead, Skeena River steelhead in particular, are a priority. The highest priority needs for joint research activities facing the Northern Boundary Technical Committee are: application of scale pattern-based stock identification to sockeye harvested in northern British Columbia fisheries, and complete the re-analysis of adult tagging data for pink salmon and apply to annual interception estimates. Maintaining funding for existing stock assessment programs was recognized as a top priority by both countries.