Program Heads

Alan Sinclair

Research Scientist Pacific Cod, Pacific Hake, Precautionary Harvest Strategies Telephone: 250-756-7205 FAX: 250-756-7053 alan.sinclair@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Professional Experience

• 32 years experience in fisheries research and fish stock assessment with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. My research has included stock assessment methods and application with a recent emphasis on management strategy evaluation through feedback loop simulation. I have studied changes in fish population demographic characteristics including growth, juvenile survival, and adult natural mortality and the implications of these changes on productivity and management reference points. I have also investigated geologic and oceanographic factors influencing the spatial distribution of fish species, and the influence of environmental factors on recruitment.
• Practical experience in planning, managing and leading fisheries research: stock assessment, population and fishery modeling, research surveys, fish tagging, fishery observers, catch sampling, computer programming, consultation, presentation, administration.
• National and international fisheries organizations: Pacific Scientific Advice Review Committee (PSARC) chair of Groundfish Subcommittee; Canadian Atlantic Fisheries Advisory Committee (CAFSAC) chaired the Groundfish Subcommittee, the Statistics Sampling and Surveys Subcommittee; NAFO stock assessments and symposia; ICES annual science conferences, symposia and working groups; PICES annual science conference. Participated in fishery stock assessment meetings as reviewer and presenter in PSARC, CAFSAC, NAFO, ICES, and US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Stock Assessment Review (STAR) Panels.
• Consultative role on fisheries research and management to government agencies and fishing industry committees. Numerous presentations and consultations with Canadian fisheries management organizations including the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, Atlantic Groundfish Advisory Committee, Gulf Groundfish Advisory Committee, Groundfish Trawlers Advisory Committee. Participated in program review of Population Dynamics Branch at NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center (1990), panel member of NMFS stock assessment review of Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper (1997), fisheries consultant for FAO review of Moroccan fisheries management plans (1999 and 2000), chaired EU Fisheries Commission meeting on North Sea groundfish TAC decision rules (2007).
• Published extensively in the primary and governmental literature (list of over 70 publications available on request).

A List of Selected Primary Publications

Shelton, P.A. and Sinclair, A.F. 2008. It’s time to sharpen our definition of sustainable fisheries management. Can. J. Fish. Aqua. Sci. In press.

Swain, D.P., Sinclair, A.F. and Hanson, J.M. 2006. Evolutionary response to size-selective mortality in an exploited fish population. Proc. R. Soc. B. 274: 1015-1022.

Shelton, P.A., Sinclair, A.F., Chouinard, G.A., Mohn, R. and Duplisea, D.E. 2006. Fishing under low productivity conditions is further delaying recovery of Northwest Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.63: 235-238.

Sinclair, A.F., Conway, K.W., and Crawford, W.R. 2005. Associations between bathymetric, geologic and oceanographic features and the distribution of the British Columbia bottom trawl fishery. ICES CM 2005/L:25. 31 p.

Sinclair, A.F., and Crawford, W.R. 2005. Incorporating an environmental stock-recruitment relationship in the assessment of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). Fish. Ocean. 41: 138-150.

Swain, D.P., Sinclair, A.F., Castonguay, M., Chouinard, G.A., Drinkwater, K.F., Fanning, L.P., and Clark, D.S. 2003. Density versus temperature-dependent growth of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Scotian Shelf. Fish. Res. 59: 327-341.

Sinclair, A.F., Swain, D.P., and Hanson, J.M. 2002. Disentangling the effects of size-selective mortality, density and temperature on length at age. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 59: 372-382.

Sinclair, A.F., Swain, D.P., and Hanson, J.M. 2002. Measuring changes in the direction and magnitude of size selective mortality in a commercial fish population. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 59: 361-371.

Sinclair, A.F. 2001. Natural mortality of cod (Gadus morhua) in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. ICES J. mar. Sci. 58: 1-10.

Swain, D.P., and Sinclair, A.F. 2000. Pelagic fishes and the cod recruitment dilemma in the Northwest Atlantic. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 57: 1321-1325.

Gavaris, S., and Sinclair, A. 1998. From fisheries assessment uncertainty to risk analysis for immediate management actions. p. 903-916 In F. Funk, et al. [ed.].Fishery Stock Assessment Models. University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Sinclair, A.F. 1998. Estimating trends in fishing mortality at age and length directly from research survey and commercial catch data. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55: 1248-1263.

Cook, R., Sinclair, A., and Stefánsson, G. 1997. Potential collapse of the North Sea cod stock. Nature 385: 521-522.

Sinclair, A.F. 1997. Biological Reference Points Relevant to a Precautionary Approach to Fisheries Management: an Example for Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Cod. NAFO Sci. Coun. Studies 32: 25-35.

Sinclair, A.F., and Murawski, S.A. 1997. Why have groundfish stocks declined in the northwest Atlantic? p. 71-93 In J. Boreman, B. Nakashima, H. Pauls, J. Wilson and R. Kendall [ed.].Northwest Atlantic groundfish: perspectives on a fishery collapse. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Md.

Swain, D.P., and Sinclair, A.F. 1994. Fish distribution and catchability: what is the appropriate measure of distribution? Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 51: 1046-1054.