Summary The Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Review Committee Meeting (SARC) took

• Main Authors: Dr Chris, D. Darby
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Canada; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.180.3451; http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/saw/saw46/Darby%20SARC%2046%20review%20report%20-%20final.pdf

The SARC meeting was adeptly chaired by the SARC chair Michael Murphy and, in combination with the well organized facilities, resources and background support provided by NOAA staff, the meeting ran to schedule in a relaxed format, allowing sufficient time for clarification of questions on presentations, further analysis if required and detailed discussion on each TOR. The assessment team was well prepared for the meeting and the presentations on data collection, raising, analysis and model outputs were well structured and consistent. The ability, attitude, and collaborative team-work demonstrated by the assessment team participants was of a comparable, high standard to those attending assessment meetings that I have participated in within the International Commission for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), Canada, and the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). The assessment team addressed and met all of its terms of reference and their conclusion that the stock is currently not over-fished and over-fishing is not occurring is appropriate. Based on the results of the catch at age analysis the bass spawning stock biomass is well above the biomass reference threshold and fishing mortality is currently at the target level