Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

Attention all PEI Halibut fishers:

With the PEI Commercial fishery nearing, we’d like to update you all on a PEIFA led research project involving halibut data collection. Technicians will be visible on some island wharves on Tuesday evening (after the halibut fishery) looking for halibut otoliths (in the heads) and fin clippings.

Also, if individual fishers are wanting to assist, they can by saving the halibut head (place on ice) and take the following info for each fish; 1) length 2) weight (if possible) 3) long/latt (general location where fish was caught).

The project began this year, through the tag and release of many halibut during the 2013 Sentinel surveys on PEI. And now, technicians from UPEI, the PEIFA and the Provincial DFARD will be present on some PEI wharves this Tuesday evening, looking for otolith (inner eardrum) and fin clipping samples from halibut caught during the fishery. More intensive work on the project is to occur pending funding approval from various contributors/supporters/collaborators.

The purpose of the PEI Halibut research project is two- fold;
1. To understand population size, vital life history statistics, and emigration from a multi-year halibut tagging study.
2. To understand whether Atlantic Halibut in the Southern Gulf are a distinct metapopulation using genetic and/or otoliths microchemistry endpoints.

Any questions on the project, or for more info please contact Laura Ramsay (393-2281) or Travis James (629-4821)