International Collaborations

Canada-U.S. Transboundary Resources Steering Committee

The objective of the Canada-U.S. Transboundary Resources Steering Committee, or 'Steering Committee' is to ensure bi-annual discussion between Canada and the United States on transboundary integrated ecosystem management issues associated with the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank marine environment. It strives to develop complementary and integrated approaches that can be implemented domestically, as required by both countries.

Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC)

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 U.S. management authorities for the cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder transboundary resources on Georges Bank. The Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC) is the scientific arm of the TMGC which conducts the peer review of the transboundary resources considered by the TMGC.

Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee (TRAC)

Since 1998, the Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC) has reviewed stock assessments and projections necessary to support management activities for shared resources across the U.S. 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.