The Push for Sustainable Hagfisheries; Reproduction and Growth of Pacific and Black Hagfish off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada

Hagfish are one of the more lucrative commercial opportunities in the world with fisheries harvesting them specifically for food and for their skin for leather-based products. In 2012 a three year experimental fishery opened off the West coast of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada in order to determine the sustainability of a Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii) and Black hagfish (Eptatretus deani) fishery.  To determine the sustainability of a hagfish fishery we examined their abundance, fecundity, and growth.  As of year two of the three year fishery we have collected approximately 17,000 hagfish at depths ranging between 42 – 440m.  Here we discuss preliminary results from the experimental fishery focusing on reproductive and growth dynamics.  We also conducted a time-series analysis to observe any changes in abundance between the first two years of the fishery.  As other hagfish fisheries around the world decline due to fishing these first results will provide better information for fisheries managers to more sustainably manage a hagfish fishery in Canada.