Canada-U.S. Transboundary Steering Committee
Related Groups
Co-Chaired by Julie Porter (DFO) and Loretta O'Brien (NOAA)
Since 1998, the Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC) has reviewed stock assessments
and projections necessary to support management activities for shared resources across the USA Canada
boundary in the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank region. These assessments are necessary to advise decision
makers on the status of these resources and likely consequences of policy choices. When TRAC was established,
it was recognized that its work and documentation would evolve in order to adapt to new realities and would
build on experience. Most significantly, the formation of the
Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) in 2000 and the recent development of arrangements for
consistent management of cod, haddock and yellowtail on eastern Georges Bank have placed new demands on the
TRAC process and for TRAC documentation. The TRAC process and the documents necessary to fulfill requirements
in the near future are described here.
Co-Chaired by Michael O'Connor (DFO) and Rip Cunningham (USA)
The Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC), established in 2000, is a government - industry
committee comprised of representatives from Canada and the United States. The Committee's purpose is to
develop guidance in the form of harvest strategies, resource sharing and management processes for Canadian
and US management authorities for the cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder transboundary resources on Georges
Bank. The Transboundary Resource Assessment
Committee (TRAC) is the scientific arm of the TMGC which conducts the peer review of the transboundary
resources considered by the TMGC.
Working Groups:
Co-Chaired by Marcia Penney (DFO) and Dave Gouveia (NMFS), formed 2003
This working group serves as an informal forum that identifies opportunities and develops proposals for
jointly addressing common concerns related to species at risk. The working group is comprised of managers
and scientists from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maritimes Region (DFO MR) and the Northeast Region of
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NER NMFS).
Co-chaired by Donald Humphrey (DFO) and Pete Colosi (NOAA), formed September 2004
The Fish Habitat WG represents a collaborative approach between Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the National
Marine Fisheries Service in addressing transboundary Habitat issues in the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank.
In September 2011, the SC accepted that the Habitat and Oceans Working Groups could be dissolved at this time
and reconvened if further collaborative efforts are required in the future.
LNG White Paper
Co-chaired by Odette Murphy (DFO) and Mike Fogarty (NOAA)
Agreed to in principal September 2005, serves in an ad-hoc capacity
This WG serves as an informal mechanism for developing a joint CA/US Ecosystem Overview and Assessment
Report (EOAR) for the Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine.
An EOAR brings together scientific information and knowledge to describe the current understanding
of the ecosystem for use by managers, partners, and stakeholders. The report will be based on the
best available science and knowledge, and will endure a peer review. In its entirety, the EOAR will
provide the integrated scientific knowledge needed to support the development of ecosystem objectives
and the advancement of ecosystem-based management.
In September 2011, the SC accepted that the Habitat and Oceans Working Groups could be dissolved at
this time and reconvened if further collaborative efforts are required in the future.
Gulf of Maine State of the Ecosystem Overview: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/345013.pdf
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